Can Russia Successfully Mediate Israeli-Palestinian Peace?

Описание: THE RUNDOWN | Russia appears to be moving in on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as part of its expanding presence in the Middle East. Given that Israel is dependent, at times, on Russia to hold Iran at bay, can Russia use this as leverage to coerce Israel into a peace deal? Our Emily Rose analyzes.

Story:

Hamas' leader, Ismail Haniyeh, will reportedly visit Moscow at the beginning of 2019 for a meeting with representatives of President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah faction in an effort to reconcile internal Palestinian political divisions.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov on Friday said his country was preparing for Haniyeh's visit after Russia's ambassador to the PA visited the Gaza Strip and invited a Hamas delegation last month, according to the Sputnik news agency.

'We have invited [Haniyeh] and he accepted the invitation with gratitude. [The visit] is likely to take place early next year… Now, the work is ongoing to agree on a date that is convenient for both parties, to form a delegation,' Bogdanov said.

'In our opinion, the priority should be the establishment of the Palestinian national unity… In our view, it is extremely important that Fatah and Hamas together with other Palestinian organizations meet and agree on the restoration of political and geographical unity… We have hosted [such meetings] on numerous occasions and are ready to once again bring them together in Moscow: representatives or heads and deputies,' he added.

According to a report written in the London-based Al Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper on Thursday, Russia had already informed all relevant parties — including Israel — of its planned attempt to end the decade-long Palestinian rift. The effort was said to be behind an invitation to Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh to visit Moscow at the end of the month.

Israel’s ambassador to Russia on Wednesday lodged a protest against the foreign ministry’s invitation to the terror group leader, but the objection was reportedly rejected outright by Moscow which said that Jerusalem was also holding talks with the Gaza-based Islamist group.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki, meanwhile, is set to arrive Thursday in Moscow for an expected meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Friday.

The Palestinian foreign minister's meeting had been arranged prior to Russia's invitation to Haniyeh, made at the end of November, and the PA official emphasized Thursday that he was not meeting the Hamas leader while in Moscow.

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