In early September, the Palestinian and Arab press reported that Hamas is preparing for internal elections to select a successor to Khaled Meshaal, the head of its political bureau. The movement neither denied nor confirmed the news.
The talk about Hamas’ internal elections coincided with a surprise visit by the deputy head of Hamas’ political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, to Saudi Arabia Sept. 4. He was there to perform hajj for the first time since 2006, when he headed the Palestinian government. The Palestinian Maan news agency claimed Sept. 7 that Haniyeh’s visit was political rather than religious, as he had scheduled other political visits after leaving Saudi Arabia. After completing hajj, Haniyeh headed to Qatar Sept. 17 and met with the Hamas leadership based in Doha. No details were made public on what was discussed during the visit.
