In a break with US-led opposition to any recognition of Hamas, the Russian President Vladimir Putin said today he would invite its leaders to Moscow.
Russia's Presidnet Vladimir Putin plans to invite Hamas leaders to Moscow
Ismail Haniyeh, a senior Hamas official said in Gaza that leaders of the group, whose charter calls for Israel's destruction, "would be delighted" to visit Russia if Mr Putin tendered a formal invitation.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said in Jerusalem there should be no talks with Hamas until it recognised the Jewish state's right to exist, "renounced terror" and accepted the Middle East peace process.
"Maintaining our contacts with Hamas, we are ready in the near future to invite the Hamas authorities to Moscow to hold talks," Mr Putin told a news conference in the Spanish capital Madrid where he was on a visit.
Hamas, considered a terrorist organization by the United States, won a crushing victory over the long-dominant Fatah group in last month's election.
Speaking through a Spanish interpreter, Mr Putin said: "We haven't considered Hamas a terrorist organization. Today we must recognise that Hamas has reached power in Palestine as a result of legitimate elections and we must respect the choice of the Palestinian people."
An Israeli government source voiced surprise at Mr Putin's comments, calling them a departure from a position taken by the Quartet of Middle East mediators to which Russia belongs along with the United States, European Union and United Nations.