Israel’s News Blog Magazine: Daily Stories Video and PhotosIsrael is buzzing with Putin’s announcement this past week in Madrid, where he invited Hamas to Moscow despite the unified front displayed by the Quartet. The Hamas, shocked like the rest of us, quickly responded with glee. Come to think about it, it’s the first 100% positive response to anything said by a non Islamic country since the elections of Hamas.
“President Putin is spitting in the face of Israel” said senior voices in the Israeli foreign ministry. “It’s hypocrisy in its most blatant form” they added. “As far as the Russians are concerned when a Metro station is blown up in Moscow its terror, and when a bus is blown up by Hamas in Tel Aviv its not terror ?”
Putin was quoted (BBC) in Madrid:
“We haven’t considered Hamas a terrorist organisation. Today we must recognise that Hamas has reached power in Palestine as a result of legitimate elections,” Mr Putin said at a news conference in Madrid.
In case you forgot, these were part of a statement made by Vladimir Putin in February 2004.
“President Vladimir Putin blamed the blast on Chechen rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov and called for greater efforts to fight terrorism.”
“Speaking at the Kremlin following talks with Azeri President Ilham Aliyev, Russian President Vladimir Putin described terrorism as “the plague of the 21st Century” which the world must unite to defeat.”
Some local accounts of the attack on the Metro in Moscow.
At Avtozavodskaya station, one of the nearest overground points to the explosion, distraught parents arrived to search for their children.
“My daughter is there!” a weeping woman in her 50’s shouted repeatedly.
A nearby shop worker said a blood-spattered survivor, shaking uncontrollably, came into the store shortly after the blast at 0840 (0540 GMT) on Friday.
“He said ‘give me a vodka,’” she said.
“He told us that he saw arms, legs scattered around the carriage,” the worker, Lena, said. “He said it was bloody carnage.”
The Russian MP for the area, Valery Draganov, was taken to the scene of the blast and said it was “horrible”.
“You can hardly imagine what we saw there,” he told Russian Ekho Moskvy radio.
He said body parts were scattered along a stretch of the underground line, suggesting the train must have kept moving for a short time after the explosion.
“It’s interesting to know what Putin would say if Israel invited over some of the Chechniyan leaders for an official visit and discussions in Jerusalem?” Said officials in Israel. Interesting indeed. After all, maybe through recognition and dialog at the international level we can get a better understanding of the Chechniyan freedom fighters…
In a press conference in Madrid Putin explained that “We don’t see in the Hamas a terror organization. The wishes of the Palestinian people have to be respected.”
“We don’t see in the Hamas a terror organization” ? That’s Odd. Take a look here, and maybe these will help. These are the 37 victims from one year, 2004, by the Hamas “non terrorist” activities.
These are some of the “better moments” of Hamas (Reuter):
Hamas was very happy to get the invite from Putin. A senior Hamas official responded: “I will be very pleased” to visit Russia.
I was thinking about whether or not Russian stores carry Danish goods?
Maybe not. Maybe that’s the point.
Maybe that’s the problem Putin is dealing with when he invites the Hamas to Russia?
Hamas sources said the Hamas will send a high ranking delegation headed by Haled Mashaal.
“We will try to make contacts in Europe and China as well.”
Who’s next you think?
Denis Schulz had some ideas.
Putin must have not heard the different tune played by the Quartet and decided to make his own music. That’s the Quartet made up of Russia (that’s Putin’s Russia), the United States, the European Union and the United Nation. The Quartet represented the non Islamic countries wish for a peaceful settlement in the area. (Quartet mission statement).
Or does it? Sounds like one of the players might be leaving for another gig.
US sources are having “penetrating clarification” discussions with their Russian colleagues trying to understand the statement.
The Russian special envoy to the Middle East, Alexander Kalugin, said later that Moscow would ask Hamas to recognize Israel’s right to exist. “There cannot be any dialogue without it,” Mr Kalugin was quoted as saying by Russia’s RIA-Novosti news agency.
Maybe this is what it is. The Hamas has been socially active as a fringe movement until its election. Their assistance and involvement in the community as an unofficial political representative has made the movement popular. Making it the official governing body of a country is something new. It entails the balancing act of both a “true to origin” beliefs and ideology and the provision of a better life for the Palestinian people which may entail compromise. Trying to show Hamas the upside of getting elected is an interesting approach. Perhaps if they have more to lose by keeping to an extremist viewpoint they will understand that there is more to be gained through dialog. The chances are slim. But maybe…
Regardless. The way that Putin went about it was to say the least amateur. If there was to be some sort of an official meeting with Hamas, it is to be done with the knowledge of the Quartet. Maybe not its agreement, but never the less.
“We are deeply convinced that burning bridges is the easiest, but not a very promising activity,” Mr Putin said.
Burning bridges ? Interesting choice of words.
There is a world of opportunities available for an “Islamic Extremists Friendly” Russia in the Middle East today (Notice the extremists part).
But at what price?
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