The Hamas terrorist organization sent a delegation to Moscow on Thursday for a meeting with Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry denounced Russia for its “obscene” meeting with a “terrorist organization worse than ISIS” after it perpetrated one of the worst atrocities in modern history.
“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,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.
“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,” the ministry reminded Russia.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said one of its diplomats spoke with Russian officials this week to express Israel’s “displeasure with the role Russia is playing” in the Hamas terror war, including Russia refusing to condemn the Hamas atrocities at the U.N. and pushing for a ceasefire that would protect the terrorists from retaliation.
Lebanese Ambassador to Russia Chawki Bou Nassar (C) makes a statement during the meeting of Muslim and Arabic countries’ ambassadors at the Palestinian Embassy in Moscow on October 25, 2023. ( ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images)
The Russian Foreign Ministry admitted the talks were held, with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Baghiri Kani also in attendance.
Iran is the world’s top state sponsor of terrorism and a vital patron of Hamas. Iran is currently using its Shiite militia proxies in Iraq to attack American personnel in retaliation for U.S. support of Israel. On Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian praised Hamas as a lawful and legitimate “resistance group” and threatened more attacks against Israel and the United States if Israel’s campaign against Hamas continues.
Russia claimed the Hamas delegation was in Moscow to discuss “the immediate release of foreign hostages in the Gaza Strip,” and “issues related to ensuring the evacuation of Russian and other foreign citizens from the territory of the Palestinian enclave.”
Before his meeting with Hamas representatives, Bogdanov announced that Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas is scheduled to visit Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He did not provide a date for the visit, but said it would be “soon.”
Russian state media reported the Hamas delegation “commended Putin’s position” on the war and praised “the efforts of Russia’s diplomacy.”
Russia’s embassy in Israel lashed out at the Israeli government on Friday for accusing Moscow of supporting terrorism.
The embassy claimed Russia consistently “condemns the use of terrorist methods, including the killing of civilians” and “taking hostage women, the elderly, and children.”
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Israel Defense Forces“We consider unacceptable the manifestation of violence in any form against the civilian population, no matter what side it is on,” the embassy said, which would certainly come as surprising news to the people of Ukraine.
“We find absolutely unacceptable any attempts to accuse us of supporting terrorism and thereby distort and erode our fundamental approaches as well as cast doubt on the purposeful work of our country to solve primary humanitarian tasks that meet the interests of the citizens of Russia, Israel, Palestine and other countries,” the embassy declared.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Thursday insisted the Hamas delegation would have “no contacts with the Kremlin” during its visit to Moscow. He refused to answer questions from reporters about whether inviting the world’s most savage terrorist organization to visit Moscow was inappropriate, even if the terrorists do not visit the Kremlin.
“We believe it is necessary to continue contacts with all sides and, of course, we will continue our dialogue with Israel,” Peskov said on Friday, as Moscow continued to weather heavy criticism for inviting Hamas.
