Top News Article Reuters.com
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel on Friday protested a plan by Russia to have talks in Moscow with Hamas, the Islamist militant group that swept recent Palestinian elections and whose charter calls for Israel's destruction.
But Russia stood its ground and predicted other countries would follow its lead in dealing with Hamas.
Israeli President Moshe Katsav and others said Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened peacemaking prospects if he followed through on his invitation to Hamas to visit after its victory in parliamentary elections on January 25.
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni warned against what she called a "slippery slope" that could lead other international powers to compromise with Hamas.
Meir Sheetrit, an Israeli cabinet minister and political ally of interim Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, said Israel should consider recalling its ambassador to Russia in protest, and accused Putin of "stabbing Israel in the back."
Putin's surprise overture to Hamas came as a blow to Israel, which wants major powers to boycott Hamas at least until it recognized the Jewish state and renounced violence.
Israel has ruled out negotiating with the group, which masterminded more than 60 suicide bombings against Israelis since 2000 but has largely adhered to a truce declared in March.
"Any weakness... will result in a negative effect -- not only for Israel, but also for the Palestinian people and for the international community," Livni said in an interview with The New York Sun.
Katsav told Israel Radio that Putin's invitation to Hamas was liable to undermine peace prospects.
Senior Israeli officials said Russia, as a member of the Quartet of major powers trying to broker Middle East peace, had a responsibility to shun Hamas.
"It's not just a slap in the face to Israel. It's a slap in the face to Western countries," said one Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity because talks with Russia were going on.
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