Senior Hamas official: ‘Most of Hamas’s leaders are Jordanians’

The jihadist network is complex, widespread and little understood by Western authorities who should be experts on the topic.

Hamas is a Muslim Brotherhood offshoot. Qatar is a strong supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood. And now Jordan’s role is being highlighted.

The Muslim Brotherhood has a long and turbulent history in Jordan. At times it prospered; at other times, it collided with the Jordanian leadership. In 2019, the Washington Institute reported that “The Jordanian political system appears to be pleased with the general direction of the Muslim Brotherhood at present.” But it all depends on feasibility at various times. For example, as the 2019 report continued:

In light of a potential new regional prominence for Hamas, the Jordanian government may see its local Muslim Brotherhood as a way to keep in touch—while keeping a low profile—with Hamas as another means to secure Jordan’s national security and political interests, especially the Hashemite Custodianship of Jerusalem’s Islamic and Christian holy sites.

Given this view, one can see why Mousa Abu Marzouk of the Hamas Political Bureau has hailed Jordan as a natural home to Hamas, even though he admits that “there is no talk of the Hamas leadership leaving Qatar at the moment.”

Although there may be “no talk of the Hamas leadership leaving Qatar at the moment,” this does not mean that they could not or would not relocate to Jordan on a dime.

Jordan did not appreciate Marzouk’s announcement and the attention to Jordan that resulted. Jordan wants to appear “moderate,” particularly in light of Israel’s war on Hamas post-October 7. In fact, Jordan is reportedly angered by Marzouk’s declaration, and is distancing itself. After all, as it stands (at the moment), Jordan has been rocked by pro-Hamas, Muslim Brotherhood protests and riots, posing a serious threat to the Hashemite Kingdom.

The more information that emerges since October 7, the more it is clear that Israel must be steadfast in its battle against Hamas and other jihadists that threaten it.

“Hamas Senior Official Mousa Abu Marzouk: Most Of Hamas’s Leaders Are Jordanian Citizens; If We Had To Leave Qatar, We Would Go To Jordan,” MEMRI, April 28, 2024:

Mousa Abu Marzouk of the Hamas Political Bureau said in an April 28, 2024 interview with Al-Alam TV [Iran] April 28, 2024 that most of Hamas’s leadership are Jordanian citizens. He said that Jordan would be their “natural place” of residence, however, the U.S. interfered and “forced Qatar to host Hamas leaders.” Abu Marzouk qualified that there is no talk of the Hamas leadership leaving Qatar at the moment.

Mousa Abu Marzouk: “Most of Hamas’s leaders are Jordanians. They have Jordanian passports. All this talk [about Hamas leaving Qatar] is nonsense. If Hamas’s leaders would move [out of Qatar] – although nobody is talking about this – they would move to Jordan. That this where their people are. These are the passports they have. Most [Hamas leaders] are Jordanian citizens. So hundreds of people with Jordanian passports would move to Jordan.

“The Jordanians are hospitable and honorable people, and they support the Palestinian resistance. Our ties with the Jordanian regime are good. We have no problem of finding where to live. The problem is the U.S. that interfered and forced Qatar to host Hamas leaders. If the U.S. stopped interfering, the entire Hamas leadership would be in its natural place, Jordan, the following day.”