GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — It has been said that in politics there are no permanent friends or enemies, just permanent interest. Political visions often change and shift, even if this means dealing with political opponents and enemies, and this is what is happening today with Hamas.
This saying describes the alliances and political movements taking place today in the Palestinian arena. This paradigm also seems to be at the core of Hamas’ policy in communicating with its Palestinian political opponents and in building bridges of cooperation based on interests. The two-day visit of Salam Fayyad, the former Palestinian prime minister and member of parliament in the Palestinian Legislative Council, on Dec. 2 to the Gaza Strip under the auspices of Hamas was the most recent tactic in the movement’s politics.
Fayyad’s visit came within the framework of an invitation from the House of Wisdom Institute. Ahmed Youssef, a Hamas leader and the secretary-general of the institute, said the aim of the visit was to discuss views and ideas put forth by Fayyad in an attempt to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza.
Youssef told Al-Monitor that Hamas gave the green light to the visit. “Hamas approved the visit of Fayyad to the Gaza Strip as no senior politicians can enter Gaza without the knowledge and approval of the movement. Hamas appraised the visit and provided security to prevent the occurrence of any tension or disturbances,” he said.
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