Palestinian Islamic militant group Hamas has received an official invitation for talks in Russia, a leader of a faction said in the Gaza Strip on Thursday. Khalil Abu Laila said the invitation was sent to Hamas politburo chief Khaled Meshaal, who lives in exile, and that a date for the visit would be agreed later. Hamas had already said it would accept Moscow’s invitation, which has upset Israel and the US by challenging their campaign to isolate the group unless it recognises the Jewish state’s right to exist. The Russian initiative has seemed to open a crack in the Quartet of Middle East mediators—including the UN, EU and Washington. But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday that Moscow agreed that Hamas must commit to seeking peace with Israel to win international acceptance. ‘‘We will work toward Hamas accepting the Quartet’s positions. This is not just the Quartet’s opinion but also that of the majority of nations, including Arab nations,” he said after talks with EU leaders in Vienna.
