Hamas delegation in Moscow for talks

ISN SECURITY WATCH (Friday, 3 March: 09.58 CET) – Senior Hamas figures have reiterated their movement's refusal to recognize Israel on the first day of an official visit to Moscow.

According to Ha'aretz, Mohammed Nazzal, a senior Hamas official traveling with the Hamas delegation, told reporters on the group's arrival in Moscow that "the issue of recognition is a done issue. We are not going to recognize Israel".

Hamas' exiled political leader, Khaled Meshaal heads the delegation.

The talks, which are the first between the militant group and a major Western government, start on Friday.

Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri told reporters on Thursday, "The visit in itself is a declaration of the failure of pressures exerted by the United States on the world to besiege Hamas."

"Now Hamas is on the threshold of international legitimacy, thanks to the visit by Hamas leaders to Moscow," he added.

Russia recently extended an official invitation to the militant group, much to the chagrin of Israel and the US which have been working to isolate the incoming Hamas-led Palestinian government.

Russia has confirmed that it will press the Islamic movement to accede to the demands of the road map quartet – the UN, US, Russia and EU – that Hamas renounce armed struggle, accept past peace agreements signed between the Palestinian Authority and Israel and recognize Israel.

Russia has sought a greater role in the region in recent years after the collapse of the Soviet Union divested it of much of the influence it had previously held.

South Africa became the latest country to invite Hamas officials for discussions on Thursday.