Special to WorldTribune.com

CAIRO — Hamas, under pressure to find a new headquarters, has sought
to reconcile with Syria.

Hamas sources said the Executive Council was reaching out to Iran and
Syria after nearly two years of suspended relations.

The sources said the council was ready to respond to the main demand of Damascus and Teheran — that Hamas sever ties to the Sunni revolt against President Bashar Assad.

“Most of the council appears to agree with this position,” a source said.

On Oct. 14, Hamas issued a reversal of its longtime support for the Sunni revolt in Syria. Executive Council deputy chief Mussa Abu Marzouk, in an unprecedented statement, said Hamas was wrong to oppose the Assad
regime when the Sunni revolt erupted in 2011.

In an interview on Syria’s Al Mayadeen television, Abu Marzouk, based in Egypt, attributed the Hamas support for the rebels to Executive Council chairman Khaled Masha’al. Abu Marzouk suggested that Masha’al, expelled from Damascus in late 2011, showed poor judgement and that Hamas did not establish formal ties to rebel militias.

The sources said the Abu Marzouk interview could mark a watershed in
Hamas’ efforts to reconcile with Iran and Syria. They said the interview on
Al Mayadeen, linked to the Assad regime, was broadcast after months of quiet
Hamas negotiations with Teheran.

“This was the main demand of Iran and Syria — a veritable Hamas apology
for supporting the rebels,” the source said. “The apology will probably
release Iranian aid for Hamas.”

The sources said Teheran began increasing aid to Hamas over the last two
months. Until July, the sources said, Iran sent most funds for the
Palestinians to its proxy, Islamic Jihad, with the largest long-range rocket
arsenal in the Gaza Strip.

For his part, Masha’al appeared to have moved away from the Syrian
rebels. In a conference in October in Beirut, Masha’al, preparing for his
first visit to Teheran since 2011, said he opposed bloody revolts against
Arab dictatorships. Syrian rebels said Masha’al was signaling an end to
Hamas support for the war against Assad.

Palestinians have played a major role in the Sunni revolt, particularly
in refugee camps in central Syria. On Oct. 15, Hamas Prime Minister Ismail
Haniyeh called on Palestinians in Syria to relocate to the Gaza Strip.
Haniyeh referred to the death of Palestinians who fled Syria for Libya.

“We tell the Palestinian refugees in Syria: Don’t endanger your lives
and those of your children,” Haniyeh said. “We are your brothers and your
family. Despite the blockade, there’s room for you in the Gaza Strip. If you
are seeking shelter, the Gaza Strip will provide you with sanctuary.”

  apologizes for backing Syrian rebels, Bashar Assad, in forced bow to Iran, Ismail Haniyeh, Khaled Masha’al, Mussa Abu Marzouk, Squeeze play: Hamas