Israel angry with Hamas visit to Russia

Israel is unhappy with the visit by a senior Hamas delegation to Russia at a time when its ties with Moscow have been fraught with tensions.

Israel Hayom newspaper quoted Palestinian sources as saying that the talks with the Russians will be important, and that the delegation will discuss with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow the situation in Jerusalem and developments on the Palestinian arena. They also noted that the head of the Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, spoke on the phone with Foreign Minister Lavrov, about two weeks ago.

This visit comes as Russia has rejected Israel’s demand for an apology after Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s remark about Adolf Hitler having “Jewish” roots. Lavrov made his comment on Sunday in an interview with Italian television.

Israel is now seeking to ease tensions with Moscow as it does not want to reach a situation in which the Russians harm the interests of Israel.

Deputy Head of Hamas’ Political Bureau, Moussa Abu Marzouk, is leading the delegation to Russia, which includes Fathi Hammad and Hussam Badran, as well as the movement’s representative in Moscow.

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