... also Israel, and finally to Egypt. This report will review the background of the Hamas-Jordan contacts and their development, the forces mediating between ... Advancing Jordan's Admittance into the GCC A renewal of relations with Hamas, with Qatari mediation, and increased involvement in the Palestinian issue, may ... journalist Rana Al-Sabbagh wrote in Al-Hayat : "Improving relations with Hamas – with clear Qatari mediation – will lead to strengthening relations with Doha, thus ...
Introduction On May 23, 2012, Egypt will hold its first presidential election since its January 25, 2011 revolution. The list of candidates has undergone many changes over the past few months. The Muslim Brotherhood (MB) decided to nominate a candidate, even though, during the first year after the revolution, it repeatedly promised not to do so, in an attempt to alleviate public fear of a MB takeover of the country. According to MB officials, the considerations that motivated the movement to ...
Introduction One year after the outbreak of the popular protests that swept through the Arab world, and with the upcoming Arab League summit scheduled to take place in Baghdad on March 29, 2012, the Arab countries stand divided and bereft of real leadership. The revolutions have overthrown the previous balance of power, toppling regimes that once seemed indestructible and rendering other regimes increasingly unstable. Egypt and Syria, which in recent decades have been fighting for dominance in ...
Introduction Hamas Political Bureau head Khaled Mash'al's signing of a February 6, 2012 agreement in Doha to form a national unity government with Fatah, headed by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud 'Abbas, prompted Tehran to warn the Hamas leadership against abandoning the path of "resistance" and adopting Yasser Arafat's way. Likewise, the Iranian regime's dailies attacked Mash'al for signing the agreement. Statements by the head of the Hamas administration in Gaza, Isma'il Haniya, on ...
Introduction In late December 2011, Hamas prime minister in Gaza Isma'il Haniya made an official tour of the region that included visits to Egypt, Sudan, Turkey and finally Tunisia. This was his first official trip abroad since the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip five years ago. Especially noteworthy was his five-day visit to Tunisia, on which Haniya was accompanied by 20 of his government officials, and which came in response to an invitation by the new Tunisian government, headed by Hamadi ...
Introduction In light of the popular uprisings in the Arab world, especially in the Gulf, the past year has seen a considerable escalation of the tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia, which have been in conflict for many years. Both Iran and Saudi Arabia are following with concern the political changes taking place in the various Arab countries, and the impact these changes could have on the balance of power between the Iran-led and Saudi-led camps in the Middle East. Both countries have lost ...
Introduction Since January 2011, Jordan has seen a growing wave of protests and calls for reform by citizens, who have steadily increased the level of their demands. The protests are led by the Islamist movement, which dominates the political opposition, and by the popular protest movement, which encompasses numerous pro-reform organizations established in the recent months. Also prominent in the protest movement are organizations representing Jordan's tribal population, which for decades was ...
... Jordan and expelled the Hamas officials, headed by Khaled Mash'al, from the country. The officials first moved to Qatar and later settled ... in Damascus, from which they direct the movement's political activity today. "The Hamas-Jordan rapprochement is ... also Israel, and finally to Egypt. "This report will review the background of the Hamas-Jordan contacts and their development, the forces mediating between ...
Introduction The popular uprising in Syria, which began in mid-March 2011, has major ramifications for Lebanon. This is due to the countries' geographical proximity and their close and complex ties, and especially due to the fact that Syria sees Lebanon as its protectorate. This document will focus on the position of the Lebanese government, under Prime Minister Najib Al-Miqati, vis-à-vis the popular uprising in Syria, and will also review the stance of the pro-Syrian Lebanese press, and of ...
Introduction The story of the Palestinian reconciliation agreement is a "Rashomon" of conflicting versions and interpretations. Today, one month after the reconciliation ceremony, the details of the agreement remain uncertain. The only uncontested element is the document of understandings that accompanied the agreement, an initialed copy of which was published in the Arab and Palestinian press. As for the document to which these understandings relate – namely the agreement itself – its precise ...
