Only a few years ago, Hamas was riding high. Hamas leaders traveled around the world acting as, and being treated as, heads of state.
Those days must seem like a dream to them now.
This week the Saudi ambassador to Algeria, Sami bin Abdullah Saleh, called Hamas a terror group and accused its leadership of spending their people's money in five-star hotels in Qatar.
Of course, he is no pacifist. He said that the PLO is the only group with the "right to resistance."
Saleh said this in a televised interview on Algerian TV.
Algerians on social media reacted angrily, defending Hamas.
Hamas reacted more with bewilderment than anger, saying that they had "deep regret and disapproval" about the statements, saying their terror attacks were "legitimate resistance against the Zionist occupation."
"We are surprised with these statements from the Saudi ambassador to the heart of Algeria, a lover of the Palestinian cause and the people of Palestine and the capital of a million martyrs. We call on our brothers in Saudi Arabia to stop these abusive statements by the kingdom considering its history and attitudes towards the question of Palestine and the legitimate rights of our people."
Hamas leadership is smart enough not to burn bridges. After all, they know how quickly fortunes can turn in the Middle East.