Israel/Palestine
Related: About this forumHamas begins rapprochement with Hezbollah, Iran
January 27, 2018
It is no longer a secret that there has been swift rapprochement between Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran. The crowning move would be for Khaled Meshaal, head of Hamas political bureau, to visit Tehran for Hamas to completely return to the Axis of Resistance.
What is new in the relationship between Hamas and Hezbollah is what Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah announced on TV on Jan. 15 regarding Hamas' having serious intentions to redress its relationship with Hezbollah and Iran. Nasrallah said this decision was a central one taken by the Hamas leadership locally and abroad, and that bilateral relations have come a long way.
Nasrallahs tone in talking about Hamas left a positive impact on the movement, knowing that this reconciliatory discourse did not emerge overnight. It was rather the fruit of a series of meetings between Hamas and Hezbollah in Beirut, during which Hezbollah felt that Hamas was seriously willing to thaw out the frozen relations between the two over the Syrian issue. The coming days might hide other positive steps in favor of the rapprochement.
The increased rapprochement between Hamas and Hezbollah has given Hamas breathing space, allowing it to partly come out of the political isolation imposed on it in the past months, following the boycott with Egypt, the Qatari-Gulf reconciliation and pressure applied on Turkey for hosting Hamas officials.
Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/01/hamas-rapprochement-iran-hezbollah.html#ixzz3Q8Bk6Zk0
bemildred
(90,061 posts)This could get out of hand.
leveymg
(36,418 posts)Last edited Wed Jan 28, 2015, 01:07 PM - Edit history (2)
The way things are lining up (in reverse chronological order):
Goes to Iran:
Gaza
North Yemen
Gov't controlled south coastal Syria
Gov't controlled south Iraq
Goes to Qatar/UAE:
ISIS controlled central Yemen
ISIS controlled north-east Syria
ISIS controlled west-central Iraq
Goes to Turkey:
North-coastal Syria
Independent:
Kudistan
Lost (or losing) to KSA:
Gaza
Gov't controlled Yemen
al-Nusra controlled Syria
al-Nusra controlled Iraq
Egypt (population)
Goes to Saudis:
West Bank
Egyptian (Gov't)
How do you see things going?
bemildred
(90,061 posts)I would quibble with some of those, and point out that even if that arrangement follows, it won't stay that way.
Quibbles:
What, if anything ISIS winds up with seems quite uncertain. They are far from invincible. At the same time, resources must be mustered to take them down, and we are governed by self-absorbed buffoons. And they piss off and threaten pretty much everybody except themselves. But they are a movement, with real grievances, which has had some successes, and that makes them very dangerous.
Turkey: also in play, another posturing buffoon. He might decide to grab something, no doubt of that.
Saudi Arabia - Egypt: I have seen indications that the chummy relationship might not hold up with the new King. Given the lack of information about Saudi Arabia out here in TV-land, it's hard to evaluate, but it sounded sober and informed.
I think this has the potential to get much worse very fast. When outside influence is on the wane and governments are weak and ineffectual, other people start to get ideas, like our friend Mr. al Baghdadi.
Edit: or Bibi. I'm a little worried they will tee off on Israel again, with the right sort of "thinking" one could see this as an opportunity.