Hamas seizes Gulf detente opportunity to get close to Saudi Arabia
Hamas praised Saudi Arabia for the Gulf reconciliation, in an attempt to break the deadlock with Riyadh.
RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Palestinian Hamas movement sees in the recent Gulf reconciliation an opportunity to break the deadlock with Saudi Arabia.
On Jan. 5, Qatar’s ruler, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani headed to Saudi Arabia to attend the Gulf Cooperation Council summit, where an agreement was reached among Gulf allies to end the boycott imposed on Qatar since 2017.
Relations between Hamas and Saudi Arabia have deteriorated since 2017, with Saudi media and officials — including then Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir — accusing the Palestinian movement of terrorism. In early 2019, Saudi authorities launched a wide-scale arrest campaign against Hamas members and leaders — most notably former Hamas representative in Saudi Arabia Mohammed al-Khodari and his son — accusing them of raising funds for the movement, and brought them before the courts.
Meanwhile, Hamas has developed strong relations with Doha over the past years. Qatar has hosted some Hamas officials and provided ongoing financial aid to the Gaza Strip, which is run by Hamas. The Hamas-Qatari rapprochement angered Riyadh, which demanded Qatar expel all Hamas members residing in its territory and freeze their bank accounts in exchange for lifting the 2017 boycott.
