The new Hamas leadership chose to hold its first meeting since the election of its politburo last May in the Egyptian capital as a sign that the Palestinian movement withdrew from Doha where it kept its offices for years.
Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat on Sunday that Hamas benefited from the presence of its officials in Egypt to hold the first direct meeting of its new bureau after previously holding such meetings through a video-conference system.
During the first meeting presided over by Ismail Haniyeh, members of the politburo discussed several issues, mainly the relation with Egypt and reconciliation with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in addition to the future of relations with Iran and Arab countries.
It is still unknown how long the Hamas delegation will stay in Egypt. It is certain however that this delegation will hold meetings with Egyptian security chiefs, including Intelligence Minister Khaled Fawzi.
Hamas wants direct Egyptian intervention to ease the Israeli blockade on Gaza.
“Hamas plans to inform the Egyptian intelligence officials about all the measures taken in the Strip to protect its border and Egyptian security, including the measures against extremists,” sources said on Sunday.
They added that Hamas would also ask Egypt to open the Rafah crossing and allow the entrance of fuel and electricity.
The two sides also plan to discuss the establishment of commercial exchange.
According to the sources, the movement should also tackle means to reach a settlement with Abbas and would therefore ask Cairo to exert pressure on the Palestinian president to stop his measures against Gaza.
The sources said that Haniyeh would inform the Egyptians that his movement is ready to reconcile with Abbas if the latter is serious about such a step. Hamas wants this reconciliation to pass through Egypt to guarantee a better improvement in the relations with Cairo.
Haniyeh had arrived to Egypt early on Saturday in his first trip abroad following the Hamas general elections.
A source in the movement told Asharq Al-Awsat that “Hamas wants to see accomplishments that would later reflect on the residents.”
