Will Egypt-Hamas fallout hurt Palestinian reconciliation?
Hamas appears to be making an effort to repair relations with Egypt, but it’s unclear whether the road runs both ways.
CAIRO — People are wondering where the relationship between Egypt and Hamas stands. Since Egypt is a sponsor of the Palestinian cause and the reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas, any decline could end up harming the Palestinian cause in the future.
Earlier this month, Egypt accused Hamas of having assassinated Egyptian Attorney General Hisham Barakat last year.
About nine months after the assassination, on March 6, Egyptian Interior Minister Magdi Abdel Ghaffar said at a news conference, “The Palestinian Hamas movement trained for and planned the attorney general’s assassination, which was carried out by members of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt in coordination with members who had fled to Turkey.”
In response to Cairo’s accusation, Ismail Haniyeh, deputy head of Hamas' political bureau, said, “Cairo should reconsider the Egyptian Ministry of Interior’s accusations,” which he called “baseless.”
