Middle Easter news media is reporting on Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh’s trip first leg of his tour of regional countries with a feature on his meetings in Cairo including a schedule visit with the head of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. According to a Jordanian news report:
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniyeh arrived in Cairo on Sunday and held talks with several Egyptian officials and political leaders. The Gaza prime minister met with a senior Egyptian intelligence officer in charge of Palestinian affairs, Nadir al-Asar, and senior Muslim Brotherhood leader Khayrat al-Shater, who was released from jail after the Egyptian revolution. The Gaza prime minister praised the strength of Egyptian-Palestinian relations in the meeting, a statement from Haniyeh’s office said. Haniyeh also discussed ongoing Israeli violations in Jerusalem and the issue of Palestinian reconciliation. Director of the Center for Palestinian Studies in Cairo Ibrahim Darawi said Haniyeh would meet with Egyptian intelligence chief Mamdouh Muwafi on Monday morning, before meeting current prime minister Kamal Janzuri. He will also hold talks with Arab League general secretary Nabil al-Arabi and is scheduled to meet with foreign minister Muhammad Kamil Amr. The Gaza PM will also meet with Muslim Brotherhood chairman Muhammad Badie. The premier of the Hamas-run government in the Gaza Strip is visiting Egypt for the first time since the coastal enclave came under siege. Haniyeh is scheduled to visit Sudan and a number of other countries, according to sources in Gaza. The tour could include Turkey, Qatar, Tunis, and Bahrain, the sources say. Hamas government spokesman Taher al-Nouno said that the tour aims to garner support for implementing political reconciliation, as well as raising awareness about Israeli violations in Jerusalem.
An earlier post report on the plans for Haniyeh’s trip.
The Hamas charter states that it is ” is one of the wings of the Muslim Brothers in Palestine” and an early media report indicated that shortly after Hamas took over the Gaza strip, Muslim Brotherhood representatives were present to review Hamas military formations. In 2007, a Hamas journalist acknowledged the role that the “international Muslim Brotherhood” has played in providing funds for the purchase of weapons and in 2008, an Israeli TV station reported that Muslim Brotherhood “representatives” had traveled to Gaza from Egypt through the open border to meet with Hamas. Hamas is supported financially and politically by the global Muslim Brotherhood and a NEFA Foundation report has documented the Hamas fund-raising activities of the Union of Good, a coalition of Islamic charities linked to the Brotherhood that provides financial support to both the Hamas “social” infrastructure, as well as its terrorist activities. Previous posts have also discussed the worldwide campaign orchestrated by the global Brotherhood against Israeli actions in Gaza during the 2008-2009 conflict with Israel. Anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli incitement in Hamas media is commonly reported.