Federation Council delegation discusses escalation of conflict over Gaza Strip in Israeli parliament
MOSCOW. July 23 (Interfax) - A delegation of the Russian Federation Council and Israeli parliamentarians have discussed the situation in the Middle East, specifically, the escalation of the conflict with the organization HAMAS and the Iranian nuclear issue, the Federation Council press service reported on Wednesday.
"The fuse lit in Northern Africa has caused landmines to detonate in the entire Middle East," Mikhail Margelov, the head of the delegation and chairman of the Federation Council committee on international affairs, said at a meeting with Israeli Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein and Zeev Elkin, the head of the Israeli Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Council.
Margelov reiterated that "post-colonial borders cannot be fair and therefore the events that are now taking place in Iraq may change the map of the entire Middle East."
"Russia is closely monitoring this process because they resonate in Central Asia and in the Caucasus," Margelov said, adding that the positions of HAMAS have changed in the Arab world, specifically in Egypt.
"In Cairo, HAMAS is now seen as part of the Muslim Brothers, which are fought there," Margelov said.
Speaking about the escalation of the situation with HAMAS, Elkin said this Palestinian government has rejected Egypt's truce offer, hoping for an expansion of military action.
"HAMAS is using the civilian population as a living shield, places launch systems under civilian facilities, and prevents civilians from leaving areas bombed by Israel," Elkin said.
The Israeli parliamentarian also said HAMAS has built several dozen underground tunnels leading from the Gaza Strip to Israel. "The only chance for us to find these tunnels is to enter the territory of the Gaza Strip, find the entrances and ventilation wells, and therefore Israel had to launch a ground-based operation," Elkin said.
The meeting also addressed the situation in Syria, and Margelov expressed extreme concerns about the increasing instability there and the current situation in Libya.
Israel hailed Russia's initiative to remove chemical weapons form Syria, saying that "there is an opportunity to disarm the terrorists now."
"If Russia proposed a similar initiative in the entire Middle East, it would considerably change the situation and would prevent further escalation of tensions in the region," Yariv Levin, chairman of the ruling coalition of the Israeli Knesset, said.
Margelov also confirmed Russia's position on the unacceptability of Iran's obtaining nuclear weapons. The Russian senator also expressed hopes that the president of Iran will stay willing to eliminate the tensions around the Iranian "nuclear dossier."
