Hamas leader Meshaal reaches out to Riyadh

The head of Hamas’ political bureau abroad, Khaled Meshaal, has recently called on Saudi Arabia to resume relations with the Hamas movement, and praised Riyadh’s historical role in supporting the Palestinians. He also called on Saudi Arabia to host the Hamas leadership on its territory.

Meshaal’s appearance on Saudi television after more than a 10-year hiatus came as a surprise. Saudi-Hamas relations had worsened in recent years due to Hamas’ rapprochement with Iran and its bias with the Muslim Brotherhood that came out victorious in the post-Arab Spring elections in the region.