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Published October 27, 2023, 11:45 a.m. ET
Russia has been condemned for rolling out the red carpet to senior leaders of Hamas and Iran in Moscow – in what one alarmed expert said was evidence that President Vladimir Putin is forming a new “axis of terror against the West”.
Russian Foreign Ministry officials met with Hamas leaders Bassem Naeem and Mousa Abu Marzouk in Moscow on Thursday, just weeks after their terror group stormed Israel and slaughtered at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians.
The terrorist leaders posed with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, Putin’s special envoy to the Middle East, who also met with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani on Thursday.
The Iranian official also held his own talks with Hamas’s Marzouk while both were guests in Moscow, Russian state news agency TASS reported on Friday.
Hamas later praised Putin – who is currently waging war against Ukraine – for his “stance” on its terror war against Israel.
Senior Hamas officials Bassem Naim and Moussa Abu Marzouk and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov met for talks in Moscow on Thursday, sparking outrage in Israel. via Portal
The Russian Foreign Ministry said diplomats “emphasized the need for a cessation of hostilities in and around the Gaza Strip and the immediate provision of humanitarian assistance to the affected Palestinian population.”
She added that her deputy foreign minister and his Iranian guest, Bagheri Kani, also reaffirmed their shared commitment to “continue to closely coordinate efforts in the interest of stabilizing the situation in the Middle East.”
The meetings raised alarm bells in the West that Russia was forming an alliance with Hamas – with Iran acting as a trusted intermediary given its existing role as Russia’s supplier of kamikaze drones, as well as its long history of supporting and funding the terror group.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is accused of creating a new “axis of terror against the West.” POOL/AFP via Getty Images
“The news that the Iran-backed Hamas terror group is being welcomed to Moscow should be extremely worrying for the West,” Kasra Aarabi, director of the US-based organization United Against Nuclear Iran, told The Telegraph.
He warned that Russia and Iran are united by “hostility toward the West” – suggesting that this represents “a new and threatening axis of terror against the West.”
Israel called the warm welcome of Hamas envoys in Moscow “deplorable” and accused Putin’s government of supporting terrorism.
“Israel considers the invitation of senior Hamas officials to Moscow to be an obscene step that supports terrorism and legitimizes the atrocities of Hamas terrorists,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry wrote in a statement shared on X.
“The hands of senior Hamas officials are stained with the blood of over 1,400 Israelis who were slaughtered, murdered, executed and burned, and they are responsible for the kidnapping of over 220 Israelis, including babies, children, women and the elderly.” , he continued, calling Hamas “worse than ISIS.”
But on Friday the Kremlin defended Hamas’ invitation, saying it was necessary to maintain contacts with all sides in the Middle East conflict.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Hamas delegation met with representatives of the Russian Foreign Ministry, but not with Putin or members of his government.
“We consider it necessary to continue our contacts with all parties, and of course we will continue our dialogue with Israel,” Peskov told reporters.
The Russian Embassy in Israel issued a statement reiterating Moscow’s calls for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages held by Hamas and the delivery of humanitarian aid to the population of the Gaza Strip, which Israel is attacking in advance of an expected ground invasion with air strikes bombed.
With post wires
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