In the wake of a meeting between Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov and Hamas Political Bureau Chief Khaled Meshaal, the Foreign Ministry expressed its support for the recently concluded unity accord between Hamas and Fatah.
The Foreign Ministry statement said:
In the course of the meeting the main focus was directed at recent inter-Palestinian agreements on national unity issues. …
Restoration of the unity among Palestinians based on the political platform of the Palestinian Liberation Organization and the Arab Peace Initiative meets the interest of a fair and effective Israel-Palestine settlement, the final cause of which is to fulfill national aspirations of Palestinian people by creating an independent, viable, sovereign state with territorial integrity living in safety and peace with Israel.
The Quartet, of which Russia is one component, demands that the Palestinians commit “to the principles of non-violence, recognition of Israel, and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations, including the Road Map.”
On Saturday, Moussa Abu Marzouk a deputy leader of Hamas emphatically rejected the Quartet’s conditions:
Hamas rejects the Quartet’s conditions because it denies some of our people’s rights. … We will always refuse any conditions that deny our Palestinian rights.
Two weeks ago in defiance of its commitments to the West, Fatah, the main constituent party of the Palestinian Authority, came to an agreement with Hamas. Despite Fatah’s claims that Hamas had committed to the Quartet’s requirements, Hamas has consistently rejected acceptance of Israel since the agreement. A leading Hamas figure, Mahmoud Al-Zahar asserted that Hamas’s reported change of heart was merely a “marketing” ploy used by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas “to minimize the pressure.”
On the ground, Hamas has increased its presence in the West Bank suggesting that the unity deal may strengthen Hamas, which had previously been reeling from a series of adverse events.
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