Ankara, May 13: The leaders of Russia and Turkey said Wednesday that the democratically elected Palestinian group Hamas should not be excluded from peace efforts in the Middle East, sparking Israel’s ire.
“Unfortunately Palestinians have been split into two… In order to reunite them, you have to speak to both sides. Hamas won elections in Gaza and cannot be ignored,” Turkish President Abdullah Gul said at a joint press conference with visiting Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev.
The Russian president, who met Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal in Damascus Tuesday, stressed that no group should be excluded from peace efforts, without naming the group.
“Undoubtedly, all parties to this problem should be included more actively (in the process) in order to reach a solution. The process should not exclude anyone,” he said through an interpreter.
A divided Palestinian administration cannot help resolve the conflict, he said, adding that the division “causes the Palestinians to regress.”
Their remarks and Medvedev’s meeting with Meshaal unleashed an angry response from Israel which said that it expected Russia to stand by Tel Aviv against Hamas.
“The foreign ministry vehemently rejects the call from the presidents of Russia and Turkey to include Hamas in the peace process and expresses deep disappointment over the meeting between the president of Russia and Khaled Meshaal in Damascus,” an Israeli foreign ministry statement said.
—Agencies