Jordan, Hamas resume contacts after 2 years

Relations between Amman and terror group soured in 2006 after Hamas men planned attacks in country.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Abu Marzouk 224 88 (photo credit: AP [file])
Abu Marzouk 224 88
(photo credit: AP [file])
Jordanian officials have held talks with Hamas for the first time since authorities arrested three of its members two years ago for planning attacks in the country. The Muslim Brotherhood, Jordan's largest political opposition movement, said Wednesday that the two sides recently held what it described as a "preliminary meeting" in Amman. A senior Hamas official confirmed the talks, but Jordan's government had no comment. The government's relations with the Palestinian group soured after the 2006 arrests. A military court convicted the three Hamas members of planning to attack Israeli businessmen and Jordanian officials and sentenced them to prison terms ranging from five to 15 years. Jordan's intelligence chief, Mohammed al-Dahabi, and Syria-based Hamas official Mohammed Nizzal headed the delegations, said Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Jamil Abu-Bakr. Hamas deputy leader Moussa Abu Marzouk said the contacts were in "very early stages" and that he hoped they will be a "good start."