Preparations are underway for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ visit to Moscow, Palestinian Ambassador Abdel Hafiz Nofal confirmed in a live interview with Russia24 on Monday, October 10th.
Even after Hamas’ incursion into Israel, Palestine “maintains daily contact with Moscow,” Ambassador Nofal said. The upcoming meeting was first announced in late September but it was unclear whether it was still going to be held after Israel declared a state of war with Gaza on Saturday.
“An agreement has been reached” about the meeting, Nofal said, adding that now “we are waiting for an official statement from the Kremlin, from the Russian side, about when the visit will take place.”
The last time Abbas visited Russia was in November 2021, months before the Russian invasion of Ukraine started. In October 2022, however, Putin met the Palestinian president on the sidelines of a summit of Asian countries in Astana.
Russia, which maintains good relationships with Arab countries, Iran, and even Hamas, condemned violence against both sides and accused the United States of ignoring Palestine’s need for independent statehood.
Diplomatically, Palestine has been trying to get closer to the Beijing-Moscow axis for years. Earlier this year, Palestine became an official candidate for BRICS membership as well along with 22 other countries, although it was not among the six countries formally invited to become full members during the group’s first round of enlargement at the beginning of the next year.
During the two leaders’ last meeting, Putin reassured his Palestinian counterpart that Russia firmly supports the “two-state solution” with regard to a possible Israeli-Palestinian settlement.
These sentiments were echoed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday, who called for de-escalation on both sides. “[Western policymakers] say that Israel should destroy the terrorists,” Lavrov said. “But this was done before … and never after the situation calmed down did they come to the fact that the main reason [for the conflict] needs to be eliminated.”
“The Palestinian problem should not be delayed further,” Lavrov then added, advocating for Palestine’s independence. Creating a “Palestinian state that would live side by side with Israel … is the most reliable path to solve [the conflict].”
Meanwhile, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov issued a video message on Monday, urging Muslim countries to form a “coalition” to pressure the international community into stopping civilian deaths by the Israeli airstrikes.
“We support Palestine. And we are against this war, which, unlike other conflicts, can escalate into something more,” Kadyrov said, adding that he’s ready to deploy Chechen fighters as peacekeepers, prepared to “restore order” and “counter any disruptive elements” if need be.
