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Both Hamas and PIJ have been hosted by the Assad regime over the decades.
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN DECEMBER 10, 2024 13:40
SUPPORTERS OF Hamas and Islamic Jihad take part in a rally last year in the southern Gaza Strip to celebrate a deadly shooting attack in Tel Aviv.
(photo credit: ATTIA MUHAMMED/FLASH90)
Hamas has said that it “congratulates our brotherly Syrian people on their success in achieving their aspirations for freedom and justice, and calls on all components of the Syrian people to unite ranks, further national cohesion, and rise above the pains of the past.”
Meanwhile, the Iranian-backed Palestinian group Palestinian Islamic Jihad has also said that the changes in Syria are an “internal matter.”
This is important because both Hamas and PIJ have been hosted by the Assad regime over the decades.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad are trying to position themselves to find a way to work with the new authorities in Damascus. Hamas may have an easier time because it is seen as a Sunni Islamic movement rooted in the Muslim Brotherhood. Hamas is backed by Qatar, Turkey, Iran and Russia.
'Palestinian people stand firmly with the great Syrian people'
Hamas said after the Assad regime fell on December 8 that “Palestinian people stand firmly with the great Syrian people, and we affirm the unity of Syria and the integrity of its territories, and respect of the Syrian people, their will, independence, and political choice.”
Hamas continues to fight Israel in Gaza, and it holds 100 hostages. It continues to kill Israeli soldiers as well. Three were killed in fighting in northern Gaza this week.
Hamas said this week that “the brotherly Syrian people, with all their spectrums, national unity, and the spirit of brotherhood and tolerance, are capable, God willing, of overcoming all challenges and passing through this delicate stage, in a way that achieves goodness, development, security, stability, and prosperity for Syria and its dear people, so that Syria can continue its historical and pivotal role in supporting the Palestinian people and their resistance to achieve the goals of their just cause, and consolidating Syria's leadership role at the level of the Arab and Islamic nation, and at the regional and international levels.”
Meanwhile, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, secretary general of PIJ, said on December 9 that the recent developments in Syria are an “internal matter” for the Arab country.
Both these groups want to make sure that they will continue to get Iranian backing and also get sustenance from Damascus.
Hamas had been critical of the Assad regime during the civil war, but Yahya Sinwar had been able to bring Hamas back into its good graces. Now, Sinwar is dead, but Hamas wants new ties with the Syrian groups in Damascus.
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Nakhalah said he hoped that Syria would continue to be a steadfast supporter of the Palestinian people and their just cause, as it has been in the past, according to a report at Iran’s IRNA state media.
“On Sunday, Syrian armed opposition groups took control of Damascus, forcing President Bashar al-Assad to leave the country, following a lightening offensive that caught the Syrian army by surplice,” the report. “We stand firmly alongside the great Syrian people and stress the importance of unity and territorial integrity of Syria, as well as respect for the people of this country and their will, independence, and political choices,” Nakhalah added.
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