Hamas Delegation Meets with Zarif

Members of a Hamas delegation sent to Tehran met with Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, on Monday, August 7. Iranian media reported that Zarif emphasized Iran's support for the "Palestinian cause and resistance" and stated that Iran's position on Palestine is "principled and unchangeable." According to Fars News Agency, the Hamas delegation also expressed gratitude for the principled stance of the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding Palestine and resistance. This is the first time in recent years that a high-ranking Hamas delegation has traveled to Tehran to meet with senior officials of the Islamic Republic. The official reason for the Hamas delegation's visit to Iran was to attend the inauguration ceremony of Hassan Rouhani's second presidential term on Saturday, August 5. Iran invited Ismail Haniyeh, the new head of Hamas's political bureau; Ali Barakeh, Hamas's representative in Lebanon, who met with Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the international affairs advisor to the Iranian Parliament Speaker during his trip to Beirut last week, told Tasnim News Agency that Haniyeh will also travel to Tehran "as soon as he returns to the Gaza Strip." Barakeh stated to Tasnim that "the relationship between Hamas and Iran has normalized... especially since Iran is the only country that provides money and weapons to the resistance." According to the Israeli website Walla.net, even during the years of strained relations between Tehran and Hamas, Iran's military and financial assistance to this Palestinian movement had not completely ceased. The Hamas delegation, led by Ezzat al-Rishq and including Saleh al-Arouri, Osama Hamdan, and Zahar Jabareen, has been in Iran since Friday. Khaled Qaddumi, Hamas's permanent representative in Tehran, is also accompanying this delegation in meetings with Islamic Republic officials. The visit of the Hamas delegation to Tehran comes a few weeks after the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps sent a congratulatory message to Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar, the head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Qassem Soleimani emphasized in that message Iran's continued support for the "resistance front" groups. Iran has had warm relations with Hamas since its establishment thirty years ago, but the Syrian civil war cooled these relations as Hamas refrained from cooperating with Iran and Hezbollah to assist Bashar al-Assad's government, providing training and support to several opposition groups aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria. Meanwhile, the Hamas delegation arrived in Tehran amid escalating tensions between this movement and the Palestinian Authority in recent days. Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian Authority, stated on Saturday that until Hamas commits to reconciliation and relinquishes power in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Authority will continue to reduce its budget for the Gaza Strip. Hamas regarded the Palestinian Authority leader's remarks as "hostile" and labeled him a "partner of Israel in the siege of Gaza" aimed at "defeating the resistance." In the meantime, King Abdullah II of Jordan visited Ramallah on Monday, August 7, to meet with Mahmoud Abbas. The presence of the Jordanian king in the West Bank is a rare occurrence; the last time he visited Ramallah was five years ago. According to Palestinian and Jordanian media, the king traveled to Ramallah following recent clashes between Palestinians and Israelis over security measures at Al-Aqsa Mosque to emphasize the "unity" of Jordanian and Palestinian positions regarding Al-Aqsa. On Sunday, August 6, King Abdullah II called on the U.S. to increase efforts for peace between Israel and the Palestinians and expressed concern that the current situation has distanced reconciliation more than ever. The Jordanian king will not meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during this visit, despite the fact that the distance from Ramallah to Jerusalem is less than twenty minutes. Analysts in Israeli media, including Dr. Ronit Mirza, a professor at Haifa University, stated that the lack of a request for a meeting with Netanyahu indicates Jordan's dissatisfaction with Israel's recent unilateral decisions regarding Al-Aqsa. Although Israel canceled the measures taken regarding Al-Aqsa following widespread Palestinian protests, the tense atmosphere between Palestinians and Israelis in Jerusalem continues. Based on the peace agreement between Israel and Jordan in 1994, Israel is required to make any decisions regarding Al-Aqsa in consultation with Jordan. The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is the custodian of Al-Aqsa Mosque and other Islamic sites under Israeli control. King Abdullah II stated on Sunday in Amman that "Jordan's policies regarding Al-Aqsa and the steadfastness of Palestinians residing in Jerusalem have preserved the Islamic holy sites."