JEDDAH: Hamas and the Assad regime in Syria restored relations on Wednesday after 10 years of mutual enmity.
The Islamist group that controls the Gaza Strip quit Syria in 2012 after condemning Bashar Assad’s brutal suppression of protests in March 2011, which triggered the country’s descent into civil war.
A Hamas delegation met Assad in Damascus on Wednesday and declared “a new start.” Hamas official Khalil Al-Hayya said: “This is a glorious and important day, in which we come back to our dear Syria to resume joint work.”
Another Hamas official said the group planned to reopen its office in Damascus, but it was “too early” to talk about restoring its headquarters in the Syrian capital.
Analysts said recent developments in Middle East politics and growing antipathy to Hamas had left the group with no choice but to end the feud with the Syrian regime.
“Hamas simply doesn’t have the luxury of being able to ignore or oppose the Syrian government indefinitely,” said Aron Lund of the Century International think tank.
The reconciliation had been “propelled by the hostile regional attitude to Hamas and by Israel’s normalization with several Arab states,” Lund said.
Palestinian political analyst Mustafa Sawwaf said: “I think most of the territories where Hamas is present began to narrow, including Turkey, and so the movement wanted to find other ground from which it can continue to operate.”
