Haniyeh to Visit Beirut, Meet Top Officials

Arab World

June 27th, 6:43am

Asharq Al-Awsat

Head of the Political Bureau of Hamas Ismail Haniyeh (FILE PHOTO - Anadolu Agency)

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh will carry out a two-day visit to Beirut on Sunday, as part of a foreign tour that will take him to a number of Arab countries, the Palestinian movement said in a statement. Haniyeh is visiting Beirut alongside a number of Hamas officials. He is expected to hold talks with a number of Lebanese officials, including President Michel Aoun, caretaker Prime-Minister Hassan Diab and Speaker Nabih Berri, as well as leaders of Palestinian factions in Lebanon. The Hamas statement said that during his meetings with officials in Beirut, Haniyeh will discuss last month’s fighting between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the plight of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. Haniyeh was last in Beirut in September 2020 when he participated by videoconference in a meeting of Palestinian leaders hosted by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah. Haniyeh was last in the country in 1993. The Hamas leader has recently visited Egypt, Morocco, and Mauritania with hopes to revive support for the Palestinian cause and rally support against the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. He resides in the Gulf state of Qatar.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3049566/haniyeh-visit-beirut-meet-top-officials