A delegation of senior Hamas officials on Thursday concluded a successful six-day visit to Algeria, where they held meetings with leaders of parties, national figures, and officials. The delegation, led by the member of Hamas’s political bureau, Mousa Abu Marzouk, also had the chance to hold several public meetings and news conferences. During the last news conference, Abu Marzouk talked about the results of the delegation’s visit to the country and highlighted several important issues in the Palestinian and regional arenas. He hailed the Algerian people and their leadership for their ceaseless support for the Palestinian people and resistance, especially in the Gaza Strip.
In another context, Hamas’ representative in Lebanon Ali Baraka welcomed a diplomatic delegation from Iran at the Iranian Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon.
Mohammad Majedi, the head consul at the Iranian Embassy and the head of the department of political relations, attended the meeting where leaders discussed the Palestinian cause and Hamas-Iranian relations.
During the meeting, the two sides talked about the latest developments in the Palestinian arena and the bilateral relations. The Palestinian and Iranian officials agreed on the need to pool the Muslim nation’s efforts to confront the “Zionist danger” in Palestine and the region, and all attempts to liquidate the Palestinian cause. Baraka highlighted the importance of promoting the relations with Iran in order to support the Palestinian intifada and resistance against the occupation.
Baraka emphasized the necessity of reinforcing relations with the Iranian Islamic Republic during the meeting in order to support Palestinian resistance against the near decade-long Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip, Israeli raids on the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and Israeli settlement activity in the occupied West Bank.
The Iranian delegation reportedly agreed with Baraka on the necessity to unify Muslims to face the “Zionist danger” imposed on Palestine, while Majedi confirmed Iranian support for the Palestinian people and their resistance against Israeli occupation.
Majedi also called for coordinating efforts to stop the Israeli siege of the Gaza Strip and protecting the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem from Israeli attempts to “Judaize” them.
Iran has provided long-term funding to the Hamas movement, the de-facto leaders of the besieged Gaza Strip. However, diplomatic relations took a negative turn in 2012 after Hamas publicly supported the Sunni rebels in Syria against the Iranian-backed Bashar Assad regime.
After years of alignment with Damascus, during which he used Damascus as a base, Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal relocated in 2012 to Doha, severing ties with Bashar Assad and declaring his support for the revolt against the Syrian president’s regime.
Over the past year, the Hamas leadership has made active strides to mend the group’s diplomatic ties with Iran.
