Israel: Hamas suffers political reverses

Assad refuses to meet Meshaal, Hamas leaving Syria, Iran cuts aid to Hamas

As the Hamas leadership flees Syria, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has refused to meet with Hamas politburo chief Khaled Meshaal.

According to the source, Syrian President Bashar Assad has refused to meet with Hamas politburo chief Khaled Mashaal after the latter called for reforms in Syria following the oppression of opposition protestors.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah's attempts to mediate between the two have been futile.

The source noted that apart from Mashaal, the movement's leaders have left Syria in favor of several countries.

Mashaal's deputy, Moussa Abu Marzouk, reportedly left Damascus for Amman. According to the source, Jordan agreed to take him in under the condition that he avoids engaging in any political activity on its territory.

The Hamas leadership was deported from Jordan about a decade ago before settling in Syria.

According to the newspaper, Mashaal has yet to leave Syria officially, but Qatar is holding talks behind the scenes with several countries, led by Jordan, to take him in.

The talks being held with Jordan have been positive, the report said, and Mashaal may be welcomed there as long as he meets conditions regarding his activity.

But the good news is that Iran has cut aid to Hamas.

The source noted that Iran had intervened as well in order to pressure Hamas, and even suspended its monthly financial aid to the movement, leading to an economic crisis in the Gaza Strip.

According to the source, one of the Gulf countries (whose name he did not mention) was now transferring money to Hamas instead of Iran.

He added that Hezbollah had also considered distancing itself from the Syrian regime over the Syrian violence, but decided to declare its support for Assad following heavy Iranian pressure.

Read the whole thing. I would bet on Qatar being the country supporting Hamas.

But if there's a wedge between Iran and Hamas that could be a good thing for Israel. It may mean one less front to worry about during an attack on Iran's nuclear weapons program.

Labels: Bashar al-Assad, Hamas, Khaled Meshaal, Syrian uprising

posted by Carl in Jerusalem