Iran Seeks to Retain Influence In Palestinian Affairs
Iran is not giving up on its ties with Hamas, but is looking for alternatives to maintain its leverage in Palestinian affairs, writes Adnan Abu Amer.
For the first time in the history of its foreign diplomacy, Iran has openly declared that it is materially supporting a Palestinian armed force fighting Israel. Iran portrayed itself as being responsible for Hamas’ rockets that were fired at Tel Aviv and Jerusalem during the latest Gaza war in November 2012.
This is a significant shift from its previous policy of denying military support to its allies in the region for fear that the world would accuse it of supporting terrorism. This time, however, Iran was keen to claim that it was providing military support for Hamas and considered the outcome of the war an “Iranian victory.”
So what happened? Why did Iran admit that it was giving material support to Hamas? Does it mean that Iran’s influence in the Palestinian sphere is rising after many had thought it had declined?
Deteriorating reputation
