Hamas drags feet on choosing between Iran, Saudi Arabia
Since the Gulf Cooperation Council decided to label Hezbollah a terrorist organization, Hamas has remained silent and refrained from taking sides so as not to endanger its regional relations.
Hamas isn't saying much these days. So far, it has kept its head down and refused to pick a side since the Gulf Cooperation Council declared Hezbollah a terrorist group March 2. Hamas is extremely cautious about taking a political position because of increasing polarization between the opposing axes currently splitting the Arab region between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
On the same day the GCC labeled Hezbollah a terrorist organization for hostile acts against the council, Arab interior ministers meeting in Tunisia accused Hezbollah of shaking up the region’s security. Hamas is at a loss about which side to take.
Meanwhile, also on March 2, some Palestinian factions did side with Hezbollah. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine claimed the Arab decisions will only benefit the Zionist enemy. The PFLP General Command accused the Gulf states of supporting terrorism, while the Islamic Jihad movement viewed the decisions as an escalation threatening Lebanon and the region's security.
Gen. Mohamed Mansour, a Palestinian Authority security official who attended the Tunisia meeting, stressed that the aggravated Arab situation means that such security threats must be confronted.
