Israeli media is reporting on what is described as a new relationship that is developing between Hamas, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. The Haaretz report, titled “A new Hamas-Saudi-Egyptian triad is emerging”, begins as follows:
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry last month, at which time the Saudi minister presented his Egyptian guests with a new reconciliation proposal for Hamas and Egypt.
The Egyptian response was crystal clear: Egypt’s security is of utmost importance, and Hamas is part of the Muslim Brotherhood, which Egypt deems a terrorist organization. There will be no reconciliation.
The Egyptian Al-Bawaba News website reported that the Saudi reaction was also crystal clear. Hamas political leader Khaled Meshal was invited to visit Saudi Arabia and at the beginning of this month flew to the Saudi capital, Riyadh, with senior Hamas colleague Izzat al-Rishq on a plane put at their disposal by the government of Qatar. Joining them on the flight, by the way, was a delegation from Yemen’s Congregation for Reform party, which is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. At the end of the Riyadh meeting, Meshal received a $10 million ‘contribution’ from the Saudis.
A week later, the Egyptians announced that they no longer considered Hamas a terrorist organization. A few days after that, Egypt decided to open its Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip for a week, not only to people but also to goods, including cement and other building materials.”
A senior Hamas source told the pan-Arab Saudi daily Al-Hayat that an agreement had been reached between Egypt and Hamas providing that, in return for the opening of the Rafah crossing on a controlled basis, Hamas would commit not to conduct operations through underground tunnels and not to criticize Egypt in the media. The agreement was reached at a meeting in Qatar between Egyptian intelligence chief Khaled Fawzy and senior Hamas officials. It appears to have been the first working meeting between high-ranking Hamas people and senior Egyptians since Egypt declared Hamas a terrorist group.
Read the rest here.
The GMBDW has been reporting on a number of occasions that we remain skeptical about Saudi Arabia’s position against the Muslim Brotherhood.