Monday, January 2, 2012

Hamas Leader Khaled Mashaal Flees Damascus

from Atlas Shrugs:

Sunday, January 01, 2012






Hamas Leader Khaled Mashaal Flees Damascus







He has to flee because he has enjoyed the patronage of Assad for so long, but it isn't as if the regime that follows Assad in Syria has any chance of being anti-Hamas. If Assad falls, he is likely to be succeeded by a Muslim Brotherhood pro-Sharia regime that wouldn't surprise anyone who is paying attention if it welcomed Mashaal back with a ticker-tape parade.



Hamas Leader Khaled Mashaal Flees Damascus INN January 1, 2012 (hat tip Carmel)



Hamas political bureau chief Khaled Mashaal has fled Damascus together with his family, according to a report published Sunday by the London-based al-Hayat newspaper.



The report, quoted by state-run Voice of Israel radio, added that a number of other Hamas leaders and their families had also fled the Syrian capital. The entire group has reportedly taken refuge in Jordan, according to the report.



Another source likewise told the al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper that Jordan has agreed to accept all of the Hamas families from Damascus -- but only on condition they will not engage in any political activity in the country.



"Jordan's agreements with Israel do not allow it to be entirely open to Hamas, and the Hashemite Kingdom will not let the movement reopen its offices there," the source told the newspaper.



Relations between Jordan and Hamas, at one time less than cordial, have since been "normalized," the source said, following meetings held in the past few weeks between government officials and the terrorist leaders.



The prospect of having to make a sudden departure from Damascus was one that Mashaal had been forced to contemplate for the past several months, as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad slowly loses his iron grip on the armed forces that have until this year served him unquestioningly....



While the Syrian capital has long been home to the Hamas political bureau, even Mashaal could see that the possible impending demise of his long-time patron meant his lease was up and it was time to go.



A report in the al-Hayat newspaper less than two weeks ago quoted a source that said all leading Hamas officials had already made it out of the country, except for Mashaal. Hamas second-in-command Moussa Abu Marzouk was in Amman at that time, where officials warned his presence was conditional on refraining from political or media activity. Hamas was based in Jordan years ago, but moved to Damascus after an alleged Israeli assassination attempt. Mashaal had been scheduled to visit Amman on Friday.





Posted by Pamela Geller on Sunday, January 01, 2012 at 05:22 PM

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