The Syrian government headed by President Bashar al-Assad continues to adopt a policy of estrangement vis-a-vis Hamas, which has been in place since 2012 when the Islamist movement decided to support the Syrian revolution against Assad’s regime.

Meanwhile, political detente between the Syrian government and Fatah, which was set in motion when the Syrian government reopened the movement’s offices in Damascus back in 2015, is still ongoing.

On Jan. 6, a Fatah delegation visited Damascus. The delegation was headed by the secretary of the movement’s Central Committee, Jibril Rajoub, and included committee members Rohi Fattouh, Samir Rifai and Ahmad Halas, who carried a written message from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to Assad, touching on the latest development in the Palestinian cause and the bilateral relations between Fatah and the Syrian government.

On Jan. 9, the Fatah delegation handed over Abbas’ letter to Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Miqdad during a meeting in Damascus. The parties discussed mechanisms for strengthening bilateral relations between the two sides in various fields.