MOSCOW, May 17 (RIA Novosti) - Attempts to isolate radical Islamist group Hamas are counterproductive and extremely dangerous, Russia's foreign minister said Wednesday.
"Trying to isolate Hamas and refuse help to the Palestinians plays into the hands of those who do not want the creation of a Palestinian state," Sergei Lavrov told journalists in Moscow.
The United States and the European Union have suspended aid to the Palestinian government, dominated by Hamas, as they - unlike Moscow - classify it as a terrorist organization. Israel has also stopped transferring tax receipts to the PA it collects on its behalf.
Lavrov called for help in uniting the Palestinians.
"To implement the international community's decision to establish a Palestinian state, it is important to help the Palestinians form a single front," he said, adding that the international community should focus on consolidating all political groups in Palestine.
Attempts to isolate Hamas were at odds with the position of the international community, including the Middle East Quartet, Lavrov said.
"We must work to see the day when two states - Palestinian and Israeli - become good neighbors living in security," he said.
Following talks between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi on May 15, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Russia welcomed Abbas's proposal to resume negotiations with Israel, and added that Moscow was ready to offer the Palestinians assistance.
Russian diplomats also said Russia would continue to negotiate with the Hamas-dominated Palestinian government, despite international pressure to break off relations with the radical Islamist group.
