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In Hamas Leader's Exit from Qatar, Signs of Growing Saudi-Egyptian Influence
(Christian Science Monitor) Taylor Luck - Hamas political leader Khaled Meshal lost his base of political operations in Qatar and departed for Istanbul in December. Observers say the Qatari leadership has undergone a strategic realignment, deciding to strengthen its ties with the Saudi-Egypt axis and distance itself from its former Islamist proxies. According to Hamas officials, Qatari security officials prevented its political bureau from receiving official delegations in Doha in December and "strongly advised" Hamas officials against traveling or communicating with Iranian officials. In late December Qatari authorities briefly detained two Hamas financiers under suspicion of "illegal monetary and economic transactions," sending a clear message: Hamas officials were welcome in Qatar. Their politics were not. Hamas official Abu Hamzeh said 20 Hamas officials have left Qatar for Turkey over the past month.