Hamas isolated as Iran boosts ties with Islamic Jihad, Fatah
A high-level Islamic Jihad delegation visited Iran one week after a senior Fatah official made a similar trip, leaving Hamas isolated.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Iranian officials on Feb. 5 received a high-level Palestinian Islamic Jihad delegation headed by Ramadan Shallah, the movement’s secretary-general. Accompanying him was Islamic Jihad’s deputy leader, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, whom the US Department of State announcement on Jan. 23 was being added to its list of “specially designated global terrorists.” It was the first visit by Islamic Jihad representatives to Iran since President Hassan Rouhani took office in 2013.
"While this trip can be classified as a routine visit, it is important given that it comes after Nakhalah was added to the terrorist list and after Rouhani took office," said Islamic Jihad spokesman Daoud Shihab.
