RAMALLAH, West Bank — When Khaled Meshaal, the former head of Hamas' political bureau, announced a Hamas policy document May 1 from Doha, Qatar, this brought a critical response from Islamic Jihad.
Strong relations have always existed between Islamic Jihad and Hamas, not only because both movements are Islamist, but also because they have both embraced armed resistance against Israel as the sole option to liberate Palestine. This is in addition to their military cooperation in the Gaza Strip and joint political stances rejecting PLO political discourse based on negotiations and recognizing Israel.