MOSCOW, April 11 (UPI) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday it would be a mistake to boycott the new Palestinian Hamas government, and vowed to provide aid.
Lavrov made the remarks in Moscow after meeting with his Jordanian counterpart, Abdel Ilham al-Khatib, Itar-Tass reported.
"We are convinced that a refusal to help Palestinians only due to the fact that they elected the government, entirely consisting of Hamas members, is a mistake," Lavrov said. "Hamas should fulfill conditions of earlier agreements, recognize Israel and return to the negotiating table, and for this purpose, it is necessary to work with Hamas rather than boycott it."
Numerous countries have suspended foreign aid to the Palestinian Authority since Hamas won the elections in January. Hamas is considered a terrorist organization by most western countries for its refusal to recognize Israel as a country.
Lavrov said withholding aid could lead to a "humanitarian disaster," and said Russia would not play a role in that.
"Such aid is possible without a risk of scuttling the negotiating process, and Russia intends to render such aid," he said.
