Medvedev meets Meshaal

On Tuesday, the Russian president Dmitry Medvedev met the head of Hamas, Khaled Meshaal in Damscus.  Accoridng to the media platform Middle-East Monitor, the focus of the meeting was “placed on the difficult humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, the creation of a support channel for its inhabitants and the necessity of doing whatever possible to ease the effects of the blockade on the elderly.”

The Russian president furthermore called on the Hamas leader to approach the paece negotiations between Israel and Palestine which started last week. He also urged Meshaal to release Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier captured by the Hamas.

The Israeli governement responded with incomprehension. In Israel, the Hamas is considered to be a terrorist organization which is not regarded as a negotiation partner. Furthermore, the Israeli Foreign Ministry was suprised by the meeting: Medvedev did not disclose his intentions before his official journey to Syria.

The ministry gave out a statement in which it compared the Hamas to Chechen terrorists. The statement appealed the Russian government to give Israel encouragement: “Israel always stood behind Russia in its fight against Chechen terrorism, and would have expected similar treatment regarding Hamas terrorism against Israel,” the statement said.

New Middle East peace talks – Part II

Yesterday, the PLO Executive committee announced that Mahmud Abbas, president of the PNA (Palestinian Antional Authority), is allowed to participate in the peace talks with U.S. envoy Mitchell. Since then there were two meetings between the two men in Ramallah which is located in the West Bank.

“I can officially declare today that the proximity talks have begun,” stated the Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat after yesterday’s meeting to HaAretz. The condition for the success of the negotiations is that Israel has to stop its settlement movements in the Palestinian territories.  As soon as this is assured, it is possible to start direct peace talks with the Israeli side.

According to Erekat, Abbas gave a letter to Mitchell in which the position of the Palestinian Authority is stated. The goal of the negotiations is the end of the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and the “creation of a Palestinian state alongside the State of Israel along the 1967 borders.”

The Israeli government welcomed the Palestinian openness. “An essential condition for improving relations with the U.S. is taking steps that prove Israel is seriously committed to making decisions on the Palestinian issue once they reach the negotiating table,” said Defense Minister Ehud Barak. According to him, it is important for the Israeli state to take confidence-building measures and to find a way to communicate.

The rival Palestinian party Hamas declared that those peace talks will not lead into an acceptable position. According to HaAretz, the leaders of hamas said that “absurd proximity talks” would only “give the Israeli occupation an umbrella to commit more crimes against the Palestinians”.