Palestinian Ambassador to Russia Abdel Hafiz Nofal told Al-Monitor that the Russians view the Middle East as vital to their interests, saying, "The Syrian conflict is finally moving toward resolution. Eleven Palestinian factions met in Moscow recently, and there are positive signs as far as Russia’s relations with the new Donald Trump administration." Nofal noted that all these activities are signs of the increased role of Moscow in the region. “It became clear during the Paris peace conference that the international community accepts [the fact] that Russia will have a bigger role to play in trying to resolve various conflicts. The Russians consider the Middle East as their vital sphere of interest,” the ambassador said by phone from Moscow.
Nofal said that the Russians hosted an inter-Palestinian meeting on Jan. 15 and Jan. 17 where important announcements were made. “Eleven Palestinian factions and not just Fatah and Hamas attended the meetings in Moscow,” he said. The meetings hosted by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov focused on Palestinian national unity and the needs to establish a Palestinian state in the areas occupied during the 1967 war.
On Jan. 13, Secretary-General of the PLO Saeb Erekat met with Lavrov in Moscow ahead of the meetings and delivered a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Nofal explained that the message included a request regarding the US plan to relocate the US Embassy to Jerusalem. “President Abbas asked that the Russians use their good offices to convince the Americans of the dangers of the embassy move and that this will escalate the tensions and will introduce a religious element to the conflict,” he said.
Nofal believes that the new Trump administration will work closely with Russia in the coming period to find a common vision for the conflicts in the Middle East. “What the Russians are trying hard to do is to convince the Americans that the Middle East is vital to their [Russians’] interests and that no action should be taken without consultation with Moscow,” he said.
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