Skip to main content

Iran diversifies its Palestinian strategy

Iran is sending a message to the Palestinian parties, Israel and the region about its role on the Israeli-Palestinian fault line.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (C) sits next to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (L) and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (R) during the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 22, 2014. Iran's President Hassan Rouhani takes centre stage at the Davos World Economic Forum Thursday, as he seeks to drum up investment for his sanctions-hit economy amid thawing relations with the West. AFP PHOTO ERIC PIERMONT        (Photo credit should read ERIC PIERMONT/AFP/Getty Images)

For years, relations between Iran and the Palestinian factions was mainly with Hamas, the Islamic Jihad and relatively with Ahmad Jibril’s branch of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). For years this situation continued, until Jibril Rajoub, deputy secretary of Fatah’s Central Committee and former head of the Palestinian Authority (PA) preventive security force, arrived on Jan. 28 in Tehran on a visit — that surprised many — to meet Iranian officials.

Iran’s revolutionaries and Fatah enjoyed strong relations before and during the revolution, but after the shah's fall and the formation of the new Islamic Republic of Iran things started to change, and within a year or two the alliance that brought together men such as Mustafa Shemran, Iran’s slain defense minister, and Abu Jihad, Fatah’s official who was later assassinated, went along with the regional developments. Only few Fatah leaders have come to Iran since then, but a few years later Hamas and Islamic Jihad emerged as Iran’s adopted sons in Palestine.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.