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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Hamas meets Jordanian official, says frozen ties starting to thaw |
| 2008-08-16 |
| Officials from Hamas have met with a top Jordanian security official to try to patch up ties soured since 2006 by charges that the Islamist Palestinian group was planning to carry out attacks in Jordan. Hamas' leader in the Gaza Strip Ismail Haniyeh said on Friday that the contacts, involving two Hamas officials and Jordan's intelligence chief, Mohammed al-Thahabi, could help reconcile Hamas with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' secular Fatah faction. It's an attention span thing. It's like this: it doesn't -- Whoa! Was that Elvis? "These are positive developments and a beginning which we hope will succeed. There are great causes and common interests between us in Palestine and our people in Jordan," Haniyeh said during Friday prayers at a Gaza mosque. Advertisement Jordanian sources confirmed that intelligence officials had met members of the Islamist group in recent weeks but gave no details on what was discussed. The sources did not say whether further meetings were planned. The Hamas official said Jordan was interested in reviving contacts with the group, but did not give further details. Relations between Hamas and Jordan began deteriorating in 1999 when Jordan forced Hamas leaders to suspend their activities in the Hashemite Kingdom, a move which lead to Hamas' departure. Relations were further strained in 2006 after Jordan said it uncovered a network of Hamas militants who planned attacks inside Jordan, an accusation Hamas has denied. Jordan, which signed a peace accord with Israel in 1994, maintains good relations with the United States and the West, and is seen as an important moderate player in regional diplomacy. |
| Posted by:Fred |