Meshaal and Jordan's King Abdullah to discuss political relationship

A senior official has confirmed that the Islamic Resistance Movement’s political chief will meet the Jordanian monarch to discuss relations between the state and Hamas. Osama Hamdan, who is in charge of foreign relations for Hamas, said that Khaled Meshaal will be in Jordan from 29 January to discuss the future of Hamas-Jordanian relations with King Abdullah II.

Hamdan told a local newspaper that he and his colleagues are committed to keep the content of the meeting confidential. He noted, however, that several topics are listed on the agenda covering all aspects of the relations between Hamas and Palestine’s neighbour.

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Mr. Meshaal is being accompanied on his visit by Qatar’s Crown Prince, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani. The two leaders flew to Jordan from Doha. An advance party arrived in Amman on Saturday 28 January to prepare for the meeting.

The Jordanian authorities deported five Hamas leaders holding the country’s citizenship, including Meshaal, in1999 following a deterioration in relations with Hamas. At the time, the Jordanian government accused Hamas of intervening in Jordan’s internal affairs, which led to escalating tensions between the two sides. Such tensions surfaced again in 2006 when Amman accused Hamas of smuggling weapons from Syria into Jordan.