Syrian crisis embarrasses Hamas
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Xinhua, December 12, 2011
Palestinian observers believe that Hamas movement finds itself in a difficult embarrassing position since the popular protests and unrests erupted against President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, the most prominent ally for Hamas, which hosts its political bureau in Syria's capital Damascus.
Seven months after the unrests in Syria, and following the Arab and international isolation of the Syrian regime, away from the mass media, Hamas movement has smoothly begun to prepare for moving its bureau out of Damascus, despite the denial of its leaders who said Hamas will stay in Syria.
Over the past few months, dozens of Hamas second and third row leaders had left Damascus, either individually or with their families, and settled in the Gaza Strip without announcing if their return to Gaza is the start of moving Hamas bureau from Damascus to Gaza or other Arab countries.
Since the beginning of unrests and violent clashes in Syria, Hamas has been committed to neutrality, except expressing in one statement that the movement supports Syrian people and their leadership, adding that Syria has always been supporting the Palestinian people and their rights.
Contrary to organizing rallies in the Gaza Strip against the former Libyan regime of Moammar Gaddafi, Hamas hasn't organized any popular rallies against Syria that would outrage Syria's President Assad.
Hamas forces had even forcibly repressed in May 3 an anti- Syrian regime demonstration and in support of the Syrian uprising in Gaza City, organized the Islamic Liberation Party. In the meanwhile, Hamas refused to organize protests against Assad in the Palestinian refugee camps in Syria.
The Palestinian observers also said that Hamas movement is very much embarrassed due to the developments in Syria, as the Muslim Brotherhood Movement, of which Hamas is part, is the major leader of the uprising against the Syrian regime.
When the Arab League (AL) decided to freeze Syria's membership in the league and to impose sanctions against it, various sources began to talk about Hamas having started to look for an alternative to locate its political leadership. However, Hamas strongman in Gaza Mahmoud al-Zahar denied the reports.
"These reports are untrue Israeli media reports. Hamas movement and its leaders are practicing their job without interfering with Syria's affairs," said al-Zahar, who denied that Hamas leaders have been facing any persecution or harassment.
Mustafa Sawaf, Director General in the Hamas-run ministry of culture, told Xinhua that the leave of several leaders of Hamas movement from Damascus "doesn't mean that the movement is moving its bureau from Damascus, but it is just a response to the current security situation there."
"Hamas is sticking until now to keep staying in Syria, and any upcoming decision to be made will be decided due to the internal and external developments," said Sawaf, adding that "if the Syrian regime collapses, then certainly Hamas will study the possibility of leaving."
He said that Hamas has many different options once it decides to move its headquarters from Damascus, adding "the place where Hamas will move its headquarters will be decided once the situation in the Arab states is settled, and Hamas will find a tranquil capital to have its headquarters there."
Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal and other political leaders on the movement have been based in Damascus since 1999. Hamas has been supporting the unrest in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, where Hamas began to build up new ties with the new regimes in those countries in addition to improving its ties with Jordan.
Talal Oukal, a Gaza-based political analyst, told Xinhua that Hamas feels very much embarrassed concerning the Syrian crisis, adding that Hamas has seriously begun to look for an alternative capital to locate its headquarters instead of Damascus, mainly after the AL imposed sanctions on Syria.
"Evaluating the losses of Hamas in case the Syrian regime collapses will be linked to what kind of regime Syria will have," said Oukal. The leaders of the Syrian opposition had announced that once a new regime is formed, it will severe its ties with Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas.
Ahmed Rafiq Awadallah, a political science professor at Beer Zeit University in the West Bank, told Xinhua that the announcement of the Syrian opposition and the tension between Hamas and the current regime of Assad "are making the ties between Hamas and Syria becoming tight and narrow."
Hamas spokesman in Gaza Fawzi Barhoum told Xinhua that the victory of Islamists in Tunisia and Egypt "will support the Palestinian cause."
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