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Iran-Hamas Rebuild Ties Following Morsi’s Ouster

After the ouster of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood from power, Hamas is again looking to Iran for support.
Senior Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh (L) and Mahmoud Al-Zahar (R) pray at the stage during a rally marking the 25th anniversary of the founding of Hamas, in Gaza City December 8, 2012. Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal, in an uncompromising speech during his first ever visit to Gaza after decades of exile, told a mass rally on Saturday he would never recognise Israel and pledged to "free the land of Palestine inch by inch".  REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS ANNIVERSARY CIVIL UNREST RELIGION) - RTR3BCZ

One month ago, I asked an Iranian diplomat in Beirut about relations with Hamas and whether there is any chance things will return to normal. “The door was never closed,” he told me. “Their bureau in Tehran is still functioning, and we still have contacts with them, it’s them who decided to downgrade relations, not us.”

For years, Hamas was Iran’s main ally in Palestine. Money and weapons were not the only things Iran gave to its ally. Also included was safe haven in Damascus, a secured branch in Lebanon and being on the favorite list after Hezbollah for “strategic arm” supplies.

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