From left to right: Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and Putin's Special Envoy to the Middle East Mikhail Bogdanov, and Hamas head of international relations Mousa Abu Marzouk, during a trilateral meeting in Moscow on October 26, 2023. (Hamas Telegram channel
Israel has lashed out at Russia for having meetings with Hamas, the Palestinian militant group.
On Wednesday, Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for Russia’s foreign ministry, said “representatives of the relevant Palestinian movement” were on a visit to Moscow, the Russian capital.
RIA Novosti, local media, reported that discussions between Abu Marzouq, a member of the Hamas political bureau and leader of the delegation, and Russia’s foreign ministry centred on the release of foreign hostages as well as the evacuation of Russian and other foreign citizens.
The foreign ministry also noted that Russia stood firmly on the establishment of a “sovereign Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with east Jerusalem as its capital and coexisting in peace and security with Israel”.
“The delegation of the movement highly appreciated the position of Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as the efforts of active Russian diplomacy,” RIA Novosti quoted Hamas to have said.
Reacting to the development, Israel said Russia’s public association with the militant group portrayed support for terrorism.
“Hamas is a terrorist organisation worse than ISIS,” Lior Haiat, spokesperson of the Israeli ministry of foreign affairs, tweeted.
“The hands of senior Hamas officials are stained with the blood of over 1,400 Israelis who were slaughtered, murdered, executed and burned and they are responsible for the kidnapping of over 220 Israelis including babies, children, women and the elderly.
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“Israel sees the invitation of senior Hamas officials to Moscow as an obscene step that gives support to terrorism and legitimizes the atrocities of Hamas terrorists.”
Haiat called on the Russian government to expel the Hamas terrorists immediately.
Hamas’ arrival in Moscow comes weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Xi Jinping, Chinese leader, in Beijing, China’s capital city, to underscore their shared vision of toppling an international order they claim is dominated by the US and its democratic allies.
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Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, had said Putin and Jinping would “most likely” discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during their meeting.
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict is linked to the territorial interests of the parties and has remained a source of tension and fighting in the region for many decades.
A new round of confrontation began on October 7 after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing hundreds and taking hostages.
In retaliation, Israel vowed to annihilate Hamas, launching air strikes into Palestine and cutting off water, food, electricity, medicines, and fuel from Gaza
Thousands of lives, mostly civilians, have been lost in the crossfire.
World leaders have cautioned both parties to respect international laws and protect innocent lives.
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