The decision by Hamas, the Palestinian movement that rules the Gaza Strip, to restore relations with the Syrian government after more than 10 years of estrangement has sparked controversy.
After initially remaining neutral in the country’s civil war, Hamas eventually voiced its support for the Syrian opposition in 2012 and broke off links with President Bashar al-Assad, despite having received backing from his government in the past.
The move also saw the group transfer its leadership from Damascus to Doha. Last week, however, the Hamas leadership announced it was restoring ties with Assad’s government.
In an official statement condemning the repeated Israeli bombing of various areas in Syria, Hamas said they appreciated “the Syrian leadership and people for supporting the Palestinian people and their just cause”.
Hamas confirms that it goes ahead with its decision to restore ties with the Syrian Arab Republic to serve the interest of the Arab and Islamic Ummah.
According to the statement issued by Hamas, “Hamas confirms that it goes ahead with its decision to restore ties with the Syrian Arab Republic to serve the interest of the Arab and Islamic Ummah, above all the Palestinian cause, especially in light of the escalating regional and international developments concerning the Palestinian cause.”
According to a report by Middle East Eye “There was a continuous discussion between Hamas’s internal institutions about the decision, and the General Political Bureau took its decision to engage in negotiations to restore relations with Syria.”
The move to rebuild relations between Damascus and Hamas has been several years in the making.
The deputy head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Khalil al-Hayya, confirmed to the Lebanese newspaper al-Akhbar last June that a decision had been taken to “restore the relationship with Damascus” after “an internal and external discussion” involving leaders, cadres, influencers, “and even detainees inside Israeli prisons”.
Moral Sin
Though the public is not privy to any controversy over the issue that might have arisen inside Hamas, a number of people and groups otherwise supportive of the organization have expressed their dismay at the decision to rebuild ties with Syria.
Saleh al-Naami, a political writer close to Hamas in Gaza, described the move to restore relations with the “petty tyrant” Assad as a “moral sin”.
