Hamas visit to Riyadh strikes nerve in Iran
A Hamas delegation recently visited Saudi Arabia to bolster relations between both parties, as Iran fumed.
Without prior notice, Khaled Meshaal, the head of Hamas’ political bureau, arrived in Riyadh on the evening of July 15 for a two-day visit, accompanied by fellow bureau members Mousa Abu Marzouk, Mohammad Nazal and Saleh al-Arouri. This was the first such visit by a Hamas delegation in three years, after the movement’s last to Riyadh in June 2012.
Hamas issued a brief statement July 18 regarding the visit to Saudi Arabia, revealing that the delegation held a series of informal meetings with King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman.
