Arab media: Hamas and Jordan restoring ties after two years of tension

Recent meetings between Jordanian and Hamas officials have opened the door to restoring relations that have been strained for two years, the London-based newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi reported Tuesday.

Mohammed Nazzal, a member of Hamas' political bureau, met with Mohammed Dahabi, who heads Jordan's General Intelligence Department, in the last few days, the paper reported. Israel would not comment on the report yesterday.

The meeting is the first one between Jordanian and Hamas officials to receive media exposure since 1999. The renewed ties with Hamas ired Fatah-affiliated Jordanian officials who oppose the move.

Jordan and Hamas cut ties in 2006, when Jordanian security services captured a Hamas cell that smuggled a large quantity of weapons into Jordan a few months after winning the Palestinian Authority elections.