Hamas’s Moscow trip angers Israel

A TOP-LEVEL Hamas delegation will travel to Moscow next week for meetings with Russian officials, a Hamas official said yesterday, part of the militant group’s efforts to gain international legitimacy after sweeping a Palestinian parliamentary election.

Russia’s invitation to Hamas angered Israel, which is seeking to isolate the militant group after its victory in the January 25 election.

Israel also condemned Turkey after Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul met in Ankara with Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal.

Hamas, responsible for dozens of suicide bombings in Israel, is sworn to the destruction of the Jewish state. Israel, the US and the European Union list Hamas as a terrorist organisation.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that the Moscow talks with Hamas leaders would be used to pull them into the Mideast peace process.

The Hamas delegation to Moscow is to arrive in Moscow on March 3, according to the group’s website.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army killed seven Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in a new round of violence on Thursday and Friday.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and incoming Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh condemned the army’s five-day sweep in the Balata refugee camp near Nablus.

The army yesterday killed two Palestinians it said were planting bombs along the border fence separating Israel and the coastal area. One of the Palestinians killed is the son of Hamas lawmaker Abdel Fattah Dukhan.

The army also launched an airstrike at a group of Gaza militants who it said were firing rockets at Israeli targets.

Also yesterday, a Hamas militant was killed in Gaza while improperly handling explosives. Hamas identified the man as Abed Moati Abu Daf, 28, “the most prominent trainer” of militants in Gaza.