Hamas political leader reaffirms hard stance on Israel

Hamas’ political leader today reaffirmed the organisation’s hard stance at the start of a three-day visit to Russia aimed at denting the Palestinian militant group’s international isolation.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was scheduled to receive Hamas’ exiled political leader, Haled Mashaal, in what will be Hamas’ highest-profile foreign visit.

The Hamas delegation is set to have talks with Lavrov’s deputy, Alexander Saltanov, as well as Russian politicians, and meet Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexy II.

Russia says it will insist that Hamas renounce violence and recognise Israel’s right to exist, but Mashaal said bluntly that the group wasn’t going to revise its stance.

“The issue of recognition (of Israel) is a decided issue,” Mashaal said upon arrival in Moscow.

“We don’t intend to recognise Israel.”

Russia’s invitation, extended by President Vladimir Putin, was the first crack in an international front against the group, considered a terror organisation by Israel, the European Union and United States.