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Meshaal May Face Resistance In His Move Toward Openness

Khaled Meshaal has been re-elected as Hamas’ leader, but as he tries to move toward more openness, he may face resistance from hard-liners inside the movement, writes Adnan Abu Amer.
Palestinian students hold the hand of Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal (2nd R) during his visit to the Islamic University in Gaza City December 9, 2012. Meshaal, in a defiant speech during his first ever visit to Gaza, told a mass rally on Saturday he would never recognise Israel and pledged to "free the land of Palestine inch by inch". REUTERS/Suhaib Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS ANNIVERSARY CIVIL UNREST) - RTR3BDJP
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With his re-election to another four-year term, Khaled Meshaal completes 17 years as the Hamas movement’s leader. He became chairman of Hamas’ political bureau in 1996, before reaching 40. He was then a young man overwhelmed by the decision-makers in the region and most Hamas members. Today he is 55 and seeks to reach the status of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the movement’s founder. He constantly has meetings and holds interviews with local, regional and international decision-makers.

The above introduction may provide clues about the agenda Abu al-Walid — as he likes to be called — in his new term and the internal and external challenges that he will be facing.

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