Sunnis v. Shias: Iran cuts off Hamas
The rupture has been caused by Hamas's refusal to toe the Iranian line by supporting President Bashar al-Assad, whose Alawite regime is religiously loosely related to the Shia Islam practiced by Iran's ruling theocracy.
Hamas - which runs the Gaza Strip - has sided with its Sunni co-religionists trying to unseat Mr Assad, in common with other mainly Sunni countries like Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
Ghazi Hamad, Hamas's deputy foreign minister, described relations with Iran frankly as "bad" before adding: "Diplomatically, I have to use other words."
Asked about Iranian funding, he said: "I can say it is not like the past. I cannot give you the exact amount. For supporting the Syrian revolution, we lost very much.
"I cannot deny that since 2006 Iran supported Hamas with money and many [other] things. But the situation is not like the past. I cannot say that everything is normal."
He added: "I cannot say there is military cooperation."
While Hamas officials have previously said they would not retaliate on Iran's behalf if Israel attacked the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities - citing disagreements over Syria - they have previously been coy about funding from a country that is Shia and non-Arab.
Iran gave Hamas an estimated £13-15 million a month after its victory in the 2006 Palestinian legislative elections - enough to cover its governing budget, said Dr Adnan Abu Amer, assistant professor of political science at Gaza City's Ummah University.
Tehran still sends a "tiny amount" to maintain ties and keep its much-trumpeted support of the Palestinian cause alive, he said. But relations have been all but severed.Faster, faster....
Labels: Bashar al-Assad, Free Syrian Army, Hamas, Iran, Nusra Front, Shiites v. Sunnis, Syria, Syrian uprising
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 11:38 PM
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