Hamas sends conflicting message over support for Iran

Hamas’s doublespeak was on evidence this week in its response to the prospect of an Israeli-Iranian conflict. After telling Western media sources that Hamas would not be drawn into any conflict between Iran and Israel, Hamas representatives went on to tell Iranian media the precise opposite.

Senior Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar told the bbc on Wednesday, “If Israel attacks us we will respond. If they don’t, we will not get involved in any other regional conflict.”

The previous day, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, Salah Bardawil, gave the same message to the Guardian: “If there is a war between two powers, Hamas will not be part of such a war.”

Ahmed Yussef, a counselor to the Hamas foreign ministry, also told Agence France-Presse on Wednesday: “Iran does not need Hamas to respond to Israel in the event of an attack, because it has enormous military capabilities at its disposal, which allow it to act without us. That’s why Hamas will not be drawn into any war between Iran and Israel.”

Meanwhile, also on Wednesday, al-Zahar denied that he told the bbc that Hamas would not take any action in response to an Israeli attack on Iran. Speaking to Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency, the Hamas leader unequivocally stated: “Retaliation with utmost power is the position of Hamas with regard to a Zionist war on Iran.”

Though it appears relations between Tehran and Hamas have soured over Hamas’s failure to support Syrian President Bashar Assad, at the end of the day, the two vehemently hate Israel and are likely to take advantage of any opportunity to do it harm. They are also both well-versed in feeding the West what it wants to hear, even as they prepare for war. This latest example shows clearly—as does history—that Hamas’s word cannot be trusted.