Russia plans to achieve Palestinian reconciliation between the "Fatah" and "Hamas" movements, informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.
"The Russians have informed all parties, including Israel, that they are examining this matter with Hamas and the PA," the sources said, adding that they believe it helps in restoring calm and supports the establishment of a Palestinian state.
According to the sources, this was a major reason behind the Russian Foreign Ministry’s invitation for Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh to visit Moscow. They confirmed that arrangements have been made for this visit for quite some time.
Haniyeh is scheduled to leave Gaza Strip by the end of this week or early next week, heading to Egypt before Moscow.
“He was supposed to start his tour earlier, but he is waiting for an Egyptian arrangement,” sources noted.
Notably, Haniyeh who will be heading a Hamas delegation, might also visit Qatar, Turkey, Lebanon, Sudan, Kuwait and other countries. This will mark Haniyeh's first tour since he headed Hamas’s political bureau in May 2017.
In November, Russia’s Foreign Ministry sent an invitation to Haniyeh to visit Moscow. It was conveyed by Haydar Rashid, the diplomatic representative of Russia in Ramallah.
This is not the first time Moscow invites Hamas officials to visit it, as former Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal had visited Moscow on more than one occasion.
Israel, in return, has in recent weeks lodged furious protests with Russia over its recent invitation to Hamas leader. The objections were raised both by Israel’s embassy in Moscow and in talks with the Russian embassy in Tel Aviv. However, Russian officials reportedly rejected the complaints, noting that Jerusalem was also holding talks with Hamas, albeit indirectly.
Head of the Jewish Agency Yitzhak Herzog discussed the matter on Wednesday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Lavrov, for his part, said that his country called on Haniyeh to visit as part of its efforts to prevent the deterioration of the situation in the region.
Russia had voted against a US-drafted UN General Assembly resolution condemning Hamas for a recent wave of violence in Gaza initiated by Tel Aviv. The motion failed to muster the two-thirds majority.
Israel retaliated on Monday by voting in favor of a UN General Assembly resolution that voiced “grave concern over the progressive militarization of Crimea” and urged Moscow to “end its temporary occupation of Ukraine’s territory”.
