A Russian diplomat said on Friday, April 6 that Western nations’ aid embargo against the Palestinian government should end because the reasons for it “are no longer operable‘.
According to Interfax Russia’s foreign minister Alexandre Saltanov told reporters

“The reasons used to take those economic measures against the Palestinians are no longer operable.”

Russia’s Security Council secretary, Igor Ivanov, will visit Israel and the Palestinian territories on Monday to discuss the peace process.

It is to be noted that Russia is also a part of the so-called Mideast Quartet that froze direct aid to the Palestinian Authority after formation of Hamas government in January 2006.
The people of Palestinians have been living under international sanctions imposed by Israel, the United States and the European Union after formation of Hamas government in January 2006. United States and Israel consider Hamas as a terrorist organization and have insisted that the Hamas must recognize Israel and renounce violence to lift the sanctions.

International Monetary Fund (IMF) said that the Palestinian government is facing a fiscal crisis due to sanctions. Sanctions forced most of the donors to refrain from providing direct financial assistance to the Palestinian government and using channels that bypassed the Hamas-led authority. Most of the aid was channeled through President Mahmud Abbas, who regarded as a moderate face by US and Israel governments.

Palestinians formed a new government last month with Hamas joining with Mahmud Abbas’s secular Fatah party. Since then many Western nations including Russia have eased their boycott to PA government and have agreed to meet non-Hamas ministers, but have yet agreed to meet Hamas leaders.

Via: news.yahoo.com