Alwaght- In the beginning of the Syrian crisis, the Muslim Brotherhood camp led by Turkey and Qatar turned into a key player intervening in the conflict and sponsoring a litany of armed opposition and terrorist groups to topple the legitimate government of President Bashar al-Assad. Meanwhile, just a few months after eruption of the Syrian crisis, the Palestinian Hamas movement closed its Damascus office and a majority of its members left their decades-long backer, officially ending the relationship between the Gaza-based movement and Syria.
Despite a decade-long chill in the relations of the former allies, signals for a end to the misunderstanding and reunion have been growing stronger day by day. On Thursday, Hamas released an official statement, thanking the "support by the Syrian government and people for the Palestinians" and declared restoration of ties with Damascus.
This announcement marks beginning of a new chapter in the relations between Hamas and Damascus, rather than news of start of negotiations, because in the past days a Hamas official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told AFP that the relations with Syria are recovering and on their way to full restoration. Also, according to this official, "there have been many visits by Hamas leaders to Syria."
The start of Hamas signals was since two years ago, when the movement's political office chief Ismail Haniyeh in 2020 said that Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayed Hassan Nasrallah told him he was ready to mediate between the two sides if he is asked to. At the time, Haniyeh expressed his hope for sustainable peace and security for Syria, which was translated as an offer for warmer relations with the Syrian government.
Actually, the current Hamas stances should be read as a turning point in the efforts to reconcile with Syria and revealing the two sides' push to reopen their connections and start constructive dialogue for gradual rebuilding of ties.
Before the crisis, Syria had supported the Palestinian resistance on the front line of confronting the Israeli occupation for many decades. The support of the Syrian government to this movement and the acceptance of its organizational presence in the Syrian territory since 2000s, played an essential role in Hamas power gain.
However, the misinterpretation of the Syrian crisis developments by Hamas leadership as a result of Arab and Muslim Brotherhood propaganda in the region destroyed the trust between the allies for a decade.
Meanwhile, the important point helping the signs of rapprochement to appear was the highly wise and futuristic dealing of the President Assad with Hamas and avoiding retaliation and opening the door to the movement's return, paving the way for Syria and Axis of Resistance power boost and frustrating the Israeli regime that is afraid of their reunion.
In fact, one of Syria's motives for rebuilding relations with Hamas is to recreate its historical role in the developments of Palestine as a central cause of the Muslim and Arab worlds. On the other side and in parallel, Hamas also seeks to rebuild this relationship in order to once again use the weight and power of Syria to support the Palestinian cause as a historical fact.
The cause of Palestine always gives credibility to its supporters in the eyes of Muslim public opinion. Therefore, Syria seeks to restore its role by supporting Hamas, which is the main element of resistance in Palestine.
Also, the restoration of these relations will represent a blow to the normalization project of the Arab monarchies with the Israeli regime, especially in the midst of the efforts of the Washington and the Tel Aviv to form a regional coalition against the Axis of Resistance.
It is noteworthy that after the foreign ministers of the US, Israel, Egypt, the the UAE , Bahrain, and Morocco announced the creation of a "permanent assembly" to strengthen relations between their countries later in March, King Abdullah II of Jordan on June 24 revealed efforts to form a military alliance in West Asia similar to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
While the alliance remains mere ink on the paper, by strengthening its coalition after Syria-Hamas reconciliation, the Axis of Resistance tightens its ranks in the face of threats and remains the key actor determining the regional equations.
