Days before the people of Iran head to the ballot box [June 14], Hamas is keeping a close eye on the elections, which will determine the fate of the movement’s relationship with its most important supplier of arms. Al-Monitor has learned that this is the background for the mounting tension between Hamas’ political and military wings. Head of Hamas political bureau Khaled Meshaal and his cohorts in the political leadership represent and lead the approach that the massacres in Syria — supported by Iran — constitute a moral red line, and that Hamas should never have ignored it. On the other hand, the military wing is deeply concerned by the depleted stockpiles of weapons in its warehouse. It believes that Hamas should have acted with greater prudence and maintained an open line of communication with Tehran, despite what is happening in Syria.
While the rest of the world is busy guessing and assessing the impact that the next president of the Islamic Republic will have on his country’s nuclear program, Hamas is worried about something else entirely, which is far more significant to the movement’s future. Will it be possible to mend its relationship with Tehran? This question has implications and a direct impact on the nature of the armed struggle against Israel, should there be one.
