Ismail Haniyeh has been elected to head up the political bureau of the terror movement Hamas, replacing Khaled Mashaal in the position.
For 21 years Mashaal, a West Bank native, headed Hamas’s politburo from hotels and luxury apartments in Damascus, Qatar and Jordan, and the change is seen as an attempt to make Hamas a more-Gaza focused organisation.
A senior Hamas official told Haaretz Haniyeh is thought to be intending to divide his time between Qatar and the Strip.
It is also believed Haniyeh’s appointment reflects a desire of Hamas so send a message to the people of Gaza that it is on their side: Haniyeh is a Gaza native, having grown up and lived there his whole life. He is a resident of the Shati refugee camp, a far cry from the luxury hotels of Qatar.
