Hamas to benefit from victory by Muslim Brotherhood

EGYPT’S first post-revolution vote will shift the political scene in favour of Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, whether or not the Muslim Brotherhood wins, analysts and Hamas officials say.

Despite a spike in unrest, Egyptians are to start going to the polls today and are expected to elect a government led by the Muslim Brotherhood, a group that in effect gave birth to the Palestinian group.

“That is going to reflect positively for Hamas,” said Mukhaimer Abu Saada, a political science professor at Gaza’s Al-Azhar University.

“The bottom line is that Hamas is a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood movement, most of its leaders were trained in Egypt.”

Abu Saada said a Brotherhood victory would see Egypt expand its support to Hamas and the Palestinians, with measures to ease the passage of people from Israeli-blockaded Gaza into Egypt a top priority.

Naji Shurrab, also a professor of political science at Al-Azhar, said Hamas would have much to gain from ties with a Muslim Brotherhood government.

“It will open a relationship with Egypt that is very different,” he said.

“Maybe Hamas will be recognised by the Egyptian government, the restrictions on the Rafah border crossing will be lifted, (Hamas prime minister) Ismail Haniya will be recognised as a partner, maybe.”

Hamas spokesman Taher al-Nunu acknowledged that a Muslim Brotherhood win would be a positive thing for the Islamist movement.

“We want support from all the Egyptian parties }because each one has an effect,” he said. “We don’t just want to have support from the Muslim Brotherhood.”