Pragmatist Haniyeh re-elected as Hamas leader

Considered a pragmatist, Mr Ismail Haniyeh has been head of Hamas' political bureau since 2017.
Considered a pragmatist, Mr Ismail Haniyeh has been head of Hamas' political bureau since 2017.

GAZA CITY • Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has been re-elected unopposed, officials confirmed yesterday, furthering his grip on the Palestinian Islamist group that controls the Gaza Strip after recent clashes with Israel.

In a statement, Hamas said its electoral process had concluded with Mr Haniyeh's reappointment as political chief after "tens of thousands" of members took part in the internal vote. The contest included no known opponent to Mr Haniyeh.

Considered a pragmatist, Mr Haniyeh has been head of Hamas' political bureau since 2017, though he lives in exile, splitting his time between Turkey and Qatar.

He was recently involved in talks aimed at bolstering the Cairo-brokered ceasefire that ended the latest deadly violence between the Jewish state and Hamas.

The 11-day conflict in May killed 13 Israelis and 260 Palestinians, including some fighters.

Hamas won the last legislative elections in Gaza, an impoverished Palestinian enclave of nearly two million, in 2006, delivering a surprise defeat to rivals Fatah.

A virtual civil war the year after led to the division of Palestine, with Fatah dominating the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Hamas ruling the Gaza Strip.

Israel has blockaded Gaza since then, while Hamas has been internationally shunned and declared a terrorist group by the European Union and the United States.

Mr Haniyeh's victory finalises a poll process that began last March with the re-election of Hamas' local Gaza chief Yahya Shinwar.

Further voting was postponed owing to May's clashes with Israel.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 03, 2021, with the headline Pragmatist Haniyeh re-elected as Hamas leader. Subscribe