The Palestinian Hamas terrorist organization is ready to establish contact and hold talks with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, Russia's RIA state news agency cited a senior Hamas official as saying in remarks published early on Wednesday.
Mousa Abu Marzouk © TOI
The Palestinian Hamas terrorist organization is ready to establish contact and hold talks with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, Russia's RIA state news agency cited a senior Hamas official as saying in remarks published early on Wednesday.
"We are ready for contact and talks with the Trump administration," RIA cited senior Hamas Politburo member Mousa Abu Marzouk as saying.
"In the past, we did not object to contacts with the administration of (former U.S. President Joe) Biden, Trump or any other U.S. administration, and we are open to talks with all international parties."
It was not clear when RIA interviewed Marzouk, who was visiting Moscow on Monday for talks with the Russian foreign ministry.
Trump vowed on Tuesday that the U.S. would take over the war-shattered Gaza Strip after Palestinians are resettled elsewhere and develop it economically, a move that would shatter decades of U.S. policy toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Marzouk told RIA that talks with the U.S. have become a kind of necessity for Hamas, considering that Washington is a key player in the Middle East.
"That is why we welcomed the talks with the Americans and have no objection to this issue," he added.
Reporting by Lidia Kelly
The Trump administration is actively pursuing the dismantlement of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), citing allegations of the agency's association with terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
President Donald Trump said the U.S. would take over war-ravaged Gaza and create a "Riviera of the Middle East" after resettling Palestinians elsewhere, shattering decades of U.S. policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and drawing regional condemnation.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the United Nations has "great potential" but has to "get their act together," as he stopped U.S. engagement with the U.N. Human Rights Council, extended a halt to funding for the Palestinian relief agency UNRWA and ordered a review of the U.N. cultural agency UNESCO.
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