Hamas Delegation Arrives in Moscow for Talks with Lavrov, Other Russian Officials
The head of the Palestinian Islamic resistance movement Hamas’ political bureau has traveled to Moscow for talks with high-ranking Russian officials, including Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
According to a statement issued by the movement on Saturday, Ismail Haniyeh is accompanied by a high-ranking delegation in his Russia visit, including deputy Hamas chief, Saleh Arouri, and members of Hamas political bureau, Mousa Abu Marzouq and Maher Salah.
The Hamas chief’s media adviser, Taher al-Nuno, added in the statement that Haniyeh’s Moscow visit comes following an invitation from Moscow to discuss mutual ties and other issues related to the existing situation in Palestine.
Haniyeh paid a visit to Moscow in early March 2020 during which he praised Moscow for defending Palestinian rights and dismissing a pro-Israel proposal devised by the US on the Middle East conflict.
At a meeting with Lavrov, Haniyeh said that Russia has a long history of backing the Palestinian cause.
He also expressed his appreciation for Russia's negative position on former US President Donald Trump’s proposed deal, as rejecting the deal was in line with the consensual stance of the Palestinian people.
This came after Trump released his self-proclaimed “deal of the century” during an event at the White House alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington on January 2020.
Trump’s plan barred Palestinian refugees from returning to their homeland, considered the occupied al-Quds as “Israel’s undivided capital” and allowed the regime to annex West Bank settlements and the Jordan Valley.
All Palestinian groups unanimously rejected the US scheme, which largely met Israel’s demands while creating a Palestinian state with limited control over its own security and borders.