On June 6, 2021, Hamas's representative in Yemen, Mo'az Abu Shamala, met with Muhammad Ali al-Houthi, a member of the Houthi Supreme Political Council. At the meeting, which was also attended by two other members of the Hamas office in Yemen – office head Omar al-Subakhi and political affairs director Abdallah Hadi-Abu Shamala presented al-Houthi with a 'shield of honor' on behalf of Hamas, in appreciation for the Houthis' support of the Palestinian cause.
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Abu Shamala also conveyed greetings from Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh to the Houthis and their leader, Abd al-Malik al-Houthi, and expressed the Hamas movement's gratitude "for the efforts, initiatives, and activities announced by the Houthis in support of the Palestinian people and the Palestinian cause."
Abu Shamala stressed that "by all indications, resistance is the correct path for liberating Palestine."
The meeting, reflecting the cooperation between the two movements that enjoy Iran's political, financial, and military support, sparked rage in Saudi media outlets. The Saudi press described the meeting as an act of betrayal by Hamas, reflecting overt support for Iran's Houthi agents, who seek to undermine the kingdom's stability. The presenting of a shield of honor to the Houthis crossed "all the red lines," Saudi media outlets said, castigating Hamas as a mere pawn on the Iranian chessboard that was destined to wind up in the "trash heap of history."
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Responding to bitter criticism in both Saudi Arabia and Yemen, Abu Shamala issued a press release in which he clarified that "Hamas's relations with all components of the Yemeni people are fraternal and are equally close" and that "Hamas does not favor one side over the other in the internal dispute within Yemen."
Political analyst Fayez Abu Shamala, who has close ties to Hamas, published an article in which he rejected criticism of the meeting and claimed Iran, Hezbollah, and the Houthis have aided and armed Hamas and therefore deserve the people's appreciation and thanks.
Featured on JNS.org, this article was first published by MEMRI.org.
