Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas spoke to the Russian official media agency on Tuesday, stating that the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the political bureau chief of Hamas, aims to prolong the conflict in Gaza and will complicate negotiations aimed at resolving the crisis.
During his statement, Abbas said, “There is no doubt that the goal of killing Haniyeh is to extend the duration and expand the scope of the war.” He added that this action would negatively impact the ongoing negotiations to end the aggression and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
Haniyeh was assassinated last week in Tehran, in an attack that prompted threats of retaliation against Israel and raised fears of the Gaza conflict escalating into a broader war in the Middle East. Abbas described this as “a cowardly act and a dangerous development in Israeli policy.”
In an interview with the Russian media agency, Abbas emphasized that the Israeli authorities must abandon their ambitions, cease their aggressive actions against the Palestinian people and cause, and respect international law by implementing the Arab Peace Initiative, including an immediate and lasting ceasefire and withdrawal of forces from Gaza.
Haniyeh had been the diplomatic face of Hamas on the international stage since the outbreak of the war and had participated in indirect talks mediated internationally to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.
While Iran has accused Israel of assassinating Haniyeh and stated it would “punish” Israel, Israeli officials have not officially claimed responsibility for the operation.
Russia condemned the killing of Haniyeh and called on all parties to refrain from escalating disturbances in the region.
Abbas also mentioned his plans to discuss the peace process in the region with Vladimir Putin and said, “We continuously exchange views with the President of Russia, consulting on the most significant issues to advance the peace process, in addition to strengthening bilateral and regional relations.. and we will do so during our upcoming visit to Russia.”
It is also expected that Abbas will visit Turkey, where he is slated to have talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on August 14 and 15.
