Hamas leaders have met Iranian officials in a continuing bid to upgrade the Islamic Republic’s financial support for Gaza’s Islamist rulers, a top source in the movement told Breitbart Jerusalem.
Earlier this month, Breitbart Jerusalem reported that Hamas turned down Iran’s offer to be recognized as the sole representative of the Palestinian people in exchange for a clear condemnation of Saudi Arabia.
Iran’s offer came in the wake of the alignment of the Palestinian Authority with Riyadh and its allies in the Arab world, who have clashed with Tehran and its proxies on several fronts.
Iran apparently would not take Hamas’ no for an answer, and urged the Tehran-backed Hezbollah to further lobby the movement. Hezbollah passed an invitation for deputy Hamas leader Moussa Abu Marzouk to visit Beirut to meet with top Hezbollah and Iranian officials on the matter of reconciliation.
The Hamas source said that the meetings, made possible thanks to fervent mediation efforts on Hezbollah’s part, were meant to discuss bilateral relations, irrespective of Hamas’ position on Sunni regimes fighting against Iran.
Asked about the information, Hamas spokesperson Mushir al-Masri told Breitbart Jerusalem that the movement seeks to maintain good relations with all the parties involved.
“The right to maintain good relations with every supporter of the Palestinian cause is a legitimate one,” he said.
The continued Iranian outreach to Hamas comes a little more than one week after the U.S. and European Union lifted sanctions on Iran after the U.N. certified that Tehran had complied with its nuclear obligations under an international accord.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.