Hamas cites 'positive developments' in Saudi ties

GAZA CITY – A leading member of Palestinian faction Hamas said on Tuesday that there are "positive developments" in his group's relations with Saudi Arabia.

"We hope that the upcoming stage will be better in terms of mending our relationship with Saudi Arabia which will serve the Palestinian cause," Hamas leader Ismail Radwan told the Anadolu Agency.

He said the oil-rich kingdom has always supported the Palestinian cause.

"Saudi Arabia has never given up the Palestinian cause," Radwan said.

"We hope the upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia by Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal will succeed in restoring the natural relationship between Hamas and the kingdom," he added.

Radwan went on to note that a positive relationship with Saudi Arabia could go a long way towards easing the suffering of the Palestinian people by lifting the siege off the Gaza Strip and opening the Rafah border crossing owing to the kingdom's good relations with Egypt.

Egypt has been cracking down on militants in Sinai – which shares borders with both Israel and the Gaza Strip – amid a rise in armed attacks on security personnel since the 2013 overthrow of elected president Mohamed Morsi by the army.

On Sunday, leading Hamas member Mahmoud al-Zahar said Riyadh "wants to establish good relations with Hamas due to the recent [Shiite] Houthi takeover in Yemen."

Both the Gulf and international community consider the Houthis' takeover of Yemeni capital Sanaa last September as a coup against President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi.

Last month, Hadi fled Sanaa to the southern city of Aden, from which he continues to exercise authority with the support of the Gulf states.

The Egyptian media has reported that relations between Riyadh and Hamas are "not at their best" owing to the latter's rejection of Morsi's ousting by the Egyptian army – a move that Riyadh enthusiastically supported.

Al-Zahar said that Meshaal would soon be visiting Riyadh, stressing that Hamas' relations with the oil-rich kingdom were "stable."