Posted on 02/10/2006 9:36:43 AM PST by West Coast Conservative
Israel was left fuming over Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to invite Palestinian poll winners Hamas to Moscow, slamming the move as a "knife in the back" from a key negotiator for Middle East peace.
The invititation was later backed by France as potentially positive for the peace process.
But it puzzled Washington and delivered a blow to the Jewish state's appeal to the international community to isolate the radical movement as it prepares to form a new Palestinian government.
"This initiative is a real knife in the back... because it aims to give international legitimacy to a terrorist group and we must oppose it with all our means," Education Minister Meir Sheetrit told public radio on Friday.
"What would Moscow say if we invited Chechen representatives (to Jerusalem) in response?" the minister asked.
"Putin is dancing with wolves," charged Housing Minister Zeev Boim.
"Anger in Israel: Putin is Spitting in Our Face," read the headline of the top-selling Yediot Aharonot newspaper.
An analyst in the leading daily slammed Putin for making what the writer termed a "bloody pact" with Hamas and called his explanation for the invitation "cynical, baseless and particularly infuriating."
A commentary in the Ma'ariv newspaper said Putin had "shocked the entire world. Yesterday, Russia broke the worldwide alliance taking shape against Hamas."
Putin told reporters on Thursday that he was inviting Hamas leaders to Moscow for talks after its landslide win in last month's election, saying it was time for the world to accept the poll result and work with a Hamas-led administration.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov on Friday defended the decision and predicted other countries would follow suit.
"I'm not afraid to predict that sometime in the future many leading states, and I'm thinking in particular about the quartet, will start supporting Hamas contacts... to make clear to Hamas authorities (their) attitudes... toward the Middle East settlement," he said.
Shortly afterward, France gave its approval to Russia's invitation, saying it could help the Middle East peace process.
The offer "may contribute to advancing our positions," foreign ministry spokesman Denis Simonneau said.
Russia is part of the diplomatic "quartet" that has demanded Hamas recognise Israel, give up anti-Israeli attacks and respect agreements between the Palestinian Authority and the Jewish state.
The four members -- Russia, the United States, the European Union and the United Nations -- drafted the so-called roadmap to peace three years ago, a plan which calls for the creation of a Palestinian state living in peace alongside Israel. The plan has been practically moribund since its creation.
However Moscow, unlike the United States and the European Union, does not consider Hamas a terrorist organisation.
Washington gave a guarded response to Russia's move but stopped short of denouncing it.
"At this point we have sought some clarification from the Russians as to what exactly their intentions are, what their plans are," said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack.
Israeli officials have pressed against any political contact with Hamas until its recognises Israel.
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who was in New York on Thursday, had warned of what she called a "slippery slope" and urged the world's major powers to stand firm on previously agreed conditions for recognizisg Hamas.
"Every sign of weakness and of recognition will be interpreted by Hamas as legitimising terror," she said.
"It's important that the international community insist on the fulfillment of these conditions."
However, according to one analyst, Putin's potential meeting with Hamas could benefit Israel if the Russian leader can persuade Hamas of the quartet's demands.
"Even if Israel is officially against it, it is not so catastrophic," Amnon Sella, a professor of international relations at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, told AFP. "It could provide certain benefits for Israel."
Yossi Beilin, the chairman and veteran dove of the left-wing party Meretz, said there should be no obstacle to talking with Hamas, whether or not it had renounced violence.
"We have no terms for dialogue, but we do have terms for negotiations," said Beilin, one of the chief architects of the now largely defunct 1993 Oslo autonomy accords.
Hamas leaders said they would gladly travel to Russia if offered an official invitation.
the putin bootlickers have been awful quiet lately????
Good pics, Joe.
The last photo isn't as bad as Mrs Clinton kissing Mrs Arafat, but in the same vain.
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