In her book, Dr. Fatima Al-Samadi traces the course of the relationship between Hamas and Iran from a perspective that goes beyond the ideological dimension, taking the reader on a historical journey that reframes the relationship within a broader system of shared interests and challenges. The researcher begins this historical framework by reviewing the different stages that Iranian policy towards Palestine has gone through, starting from the late Qajar era (1794-1925), passing through the first Pahlavi era (1925-1941) and the second (1941-1979), and reaching after the Islamic Revolution (1979).

The book devotes a chapter to examining the "Al-Aqsa Flood" and the Iranian readings of this process and what followed it, and discusses the positions of the parties of the axis of resistance and the determinants that governed the performance of each party and the impact of the entry of the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group into the confrontation line, and it also details the limits of Iranian participation by focusing on the principles of the Iranian defense strategy.

The author relies in her narrative on written references, reliable testimonies, and interviews she conducted over many years.

The book provides an in-depth look at the political and religious backgrounds that formed the Iranian relationship with Hamas, reviewing the position of both Ayatollah Kashani and Ayatollah Khomeini on the Palestinian issue before the Islamic Revolution. For Kashani, who was known for his criticism of the Shah’s regime, he saw the Zionist project as a threat not only to the Arab and Islamic world, but to all of humanity. As for Khomeini, his explicit opposition to the Shah was based on rejecting Iran’s relationship with Israel, and he made hostility to the “Zionist regime” a symbol of the revolution, which led to the Palestinian issue becoming a focus of Iranian foreign policy.

The researcher explains that the relationship between Hamas and Iran was not merely an ideological alliance; rather, it also achieved common interests for both parties. The book describes several visits made by Hamas leaders to Iran, such as the visit of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in 1998, during which he expressed his gratitude to the Iranian people and their support for the Palestinian cause. The author highlights how Iran saw this relationship as a means of asserting its regional influence by supporting the Palestinian cause, specifically supporting resistance movements.

In the book, Fatima Al-Samadi discusses the period after the outbreak of the Islamic Revolution and the establishment of the Iranian Republic, where Iran played a major role in strengthening its regional position, benefiting from its support for the Palestinian cause as one of the pillars of its foreign policy. In this context, the author discusses the crises that faced the relationship between Hamas and Iran, most notably those that occurred after the outbreak of the Syrian revolution in 2011, where positions were divided and visions varied; Hamas leadership chose to stay away from supporting the Syrian regime, which Tehran considered "a position outside the axis of resistance." The researcher continues to narrate the details through the interaction of the two parties with that crisis and the attempts of Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force, to revive the relationship, as he contributed effectively to containing the dispute and reconnecting the severed strategic cooperation.

The Crisis Over Syria

In narrating the details of the crisis over Syria, the researcher reviews the role of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, led by Muhammad al-Deif, in maintaining the Qassam Brigades' communication with the Quds Force despite the political tension between the leaderships, which gave relations with Tehran a distinctive dimension and prevented their complete collapse. The author shows how the common consensus between the two parties on the need to resist the "Zionist occupation" was stronger than the differences on other regional issues.

The book also highlights the position of some Arab countries on Hamas's relationship with Iran, indicating their reservations or even rejection of it, as some view Hamas as an "executor of Iranian policies in the region." Al-Samadi adds that this Arab impression created a kind of political isolation for Hamas in the Arab world, which prompted it to turn to Iran and support it to strengthen its position regionally, especially in light of the lack of sufficient Arab support for the Palestinian cause.

While former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was one of the most prominent supporters of Hamas with money and weapons, this relationship declined during the era of President Hassan Rouhani, who witnessed the cessation of Iranian financial support for Hamas from the presidency. The author comments on this by pointing out that Rouhani avoided meeting Hamas leaders throughout his eight years in power, which reflected a cautious approach by the Iranian administration towards supporting the movement during that period.

The book uses a complex analytical approach that combines history and politics, and reviews the theories through which the relationship between the two parties can be explained. It seeks to adopt a "cost-benefit" model to explain the relationship between Hamas and Iran according to the concept of "rational choice", which is based on building relationships through each party maximizing its interests. The researcher uses this analysis as an approach to explaining the "delicate balance" that Hamas sought to maintain in its relationship with Iran, while clarifying its attempt to avoid subordination to political decisions, as Hamas sees this relationship as part of the national liberation strategy aimed at resisting the occupation.

In this context, the researcher devotes an entire chapter to discussing "intellectual and normative frameworks" and their importance in shaping the meanings of the political discourse of both parties, stressing that Hamas does not completely follow the Iranian discourse, and that it maintains its basic positions without losing the independence of its decision, which is what she tried to clarify based on the interviews and historical scenes that she collected over the years of field research.

At the end of the book, it reviews a new phase that the relationship witnessed after 2020, as Hamas returned to strengthening its relations with Iran following the assassination of Qassem Soleimani, and the subsequent repercussions on the axis of resistance, leading to the current political crises. The researcher considers this phase to be evidence that cooperation between the two parties will not be merely a temporary or superficial strategic relationship, but rather represents a long-term path that has been strengthened by the pressures of various regional powers.

The author has made an effort to document the diverse points of view, whether from within Iran or Hamas, using extensive field interviews and documented citations from both parties, which makes the book a reference source on the history and nature of the relationship between Hamas and Iran. The book is a qualitative addition to the Arab library, which lacks sources that combine historical analysis and field testimonies of such a complex relationship.

Source: Al Jazeera