Yohanan Tzoreff and Yoel Guzansky
INSS Insight No. 1722, May 11, 2023
“The proximity of the visits prompted speculation that Riyadh seeks to strengthen its influence in the Gaza Strip and perhaps promote reconciliation between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.”
The Hamas leadership, including Chairman of the Political Bureau Ismail Haniyeh, visited Saudi Arabia in April 2023. Haniyeh was accompanied by Khaled Mashal and Mousa Abu Marzouk, previous chairmen of the organization who continue to hold senior positions, and Khalil al-Hayya, deputy of Yahya Sinwar and head of the organization’s Information Bureau.
The visit arouses interest because relations between the Saudi royal house and Hamas were severed in 2007, and since then, palpable tension has defined the relations between them. Hamas is perceived as a militant faction of the Muslim Brotherhood that maintains relations with Iran, the Kingdom’s principal enemy. In 2014 the Muslim Brotherhood was added to the Saudi list of terror organizations, and their activists, including Hamas members, were imprisoned. In 2021, Riyadh imposed heavy prison sentences of up to 22 years on 64 of the organization’s senior members and activists on charges of money laundering and support for the Hamas military wing. Among those condemned to lengthy prison terms (15 years) was the head of the Hamas delegation to the Kingdom, Dr. Mohammed al-Hudari, who was released in October 2022 and subsequently died. In one of his moments of frustration with Saudi Arabia, Khaled Mashal hinted that the arrests were intended to please Israel, in the context of its growing closeness to the Kingdom.
The last visit to Saudi Arabia by a Hamas delegation was in 2015, made for the formal purpose of observing the commandment of Umrah but which included meetings with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Defense Minister and head of Saudi Intelligence. The outcome then did not satisfy the Hamas delegation, which hoped for a change in policy toward their organization, particularly on the issue of the prisoners. The purpose of the recent visit, according to Hamas, was also to observe the Umrah, and as far as is known, before the Hamas delegation returned to Doha, there were no meetings with Saudi officials (or if there were meetings, they have not been made public). All information on this matter has come from sources close to Hamas. … [To read the full article, click here]