The Russian government will host “inter-Palestinian talks” with representatives from 14 Palestinian factions taking part in discussions about how to resolve Hamas’ war against Israel in Gaza.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Envoy for the Middle East Mikhail Bogdanov will host the three-day meeting in Moscow, scheduled to begin on Thursday.
Among the Palestinian groups expected to participate in the meetings are leaders from the Hamas terrorist organization, Fatah party leaders from the Palestinian Authority (PA), leaders from Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), as well as representatives from Syria, Lebanon and other Middle East nations in the region.
According to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), the Kremlin wants to increase its influence in the Middle East by bringing leaders from the Arab world to Moscow for the high-level talks.
FDD Research Fellow Ivana Stradner, an expert analyst in the region, said the hosting of ‘Palestinian Unity’ is the latest propaganda coming out of Moscow and believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin “wants to portray himself as a peacemaker while demonizing the West as a warmongering, destabilizing force.”
“Moscow’s cynical offer to mediate the Gaza war should be understood for what it is: a farce,” she added.
Senior Research Analyst for FDD’s Long War Journal Joe Truzman believes that the Palestinian terror groups “view Russia as a valuable ally” to elevate their international status and “assist them in becoming the legitimate representatives of the Palestinian people that are backed by a world superpower.”
Russia has consistently shown support for Hamas and the Palestinian cause, even after the Hamas terror organization for its brutal attack on Israeli southern border communities on Oct. 7, the same day that Putin celebrated his 71st birthday.
On Oct. 13, less than one week after the brutal massacre on Israeli soil, the Russian president likened Israel’s military operations in Gaza to Hitler’s Nazi Germany overtaking of Leningrad during World War II.
Just weeks later, Russia hosted a delegation of senior Hamas terror officials in Moscow. After that meeting, Hamas released a statement thanking Moscow for its efforts to end “the crimes of Israel that are supported by the West.”
In November, amid the war against Hamas in Gaza, Russian UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya claimed Israel did not have the right to self-defense as an “occupying power,” ignoring the fact that Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005.
In December, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the Russian government’s “dangerous cooperation” with Iran in a phone call with Putin.
Earlier this week, Russia’s Deputy Ambassador to the UN Dmitry Polyansky falsely accused the Jewish state of targeting civilians in the Gaza Strip.
“Together with the United Nations we will resist Israel’s attempts to present killing of civilians in Gaza in blatant violation of international humanitarian law as fight with terrorists,” Polyansky stated.