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Iran, Qatar recast regional 'resistance' alliance

The dispute between Saudi Arabia and Qatar is playing out within the context of Iran’s improved ties with Doha, Qatar’s rethink of its Syria policy and Tehran’s initiatives to expand its influence with Palestinian factions.
Damascus, SYRIA:  Ramadan Abdullah Shalah, the Secretary General of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, is escorted by his bodyguards as he walks past journalists following his meeting with Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas in Damascus late 20 January 2007. Abbas is in Syria for talks with Syrian leaders and Palestinian militants aimed at ending a deadly battle for power with the rival Hamas party. The moderate Abbas held talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during his trip and could also hold a highly-anti

TEHRAN, Iran — Last week, Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Ramadan Abdullah Shalah, a close ally of Tehran, visited the Qatari capital of Doha to meet his ally and comrade Khaled Meshaal, the leader of Hamas, according to sources close to Shalah. 

It is rare that someone like Shalah visits Doha, given the tight security measures that lead his movements to be well-tracked and detailed. Hence, he went only after receiving his Iranian allies’ blessings.

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