Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Presidential Envoy for the Middle East Mikhail Bogdanov held a lengthy session of talks on Monday with a Hamas delegation, led by Politburo member Moussa Abu Marzkouk. Discussions at the Russian Foreign Ministry focused on the developments in the Palestinian issue and Washington’s preparations to announce what is known as the “deal of the century”, as well as the Palestinian reconciliation file and the measures taken by the Palestinian Authority in Gaza. The two sides also touched on the Israeli escalation against the Gaza Strip, underlining the necessity to lift the siege on Gaza and improve the humanitarian and living conditions. Bogdanov anticipated his meeting with the Hamas delegation by telling a group of journalists in Moscow that the United States was incapable of resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict alone. He added that Washington “understands that it will not be able to unilaterally find a viable settlement”, and “if they could, it would have been achieved a long time ago.” Bogdanov underlined Moscow’s commitment to the course of collective action, adding that the international mechanisms also included the international quartet (Russia, the United States, the United Nations and the European Union). In this regard, he said his country was ready to work with all partners to reach a settlement. Bogdanov noted that the US administration did not inform Moscow of its plan to settle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which US officials have recently prepared. “I am afraid that they do not even share this information with the Palestinians themselves,” he said. In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Abu Marzouk said the meeting discussed “all issues related to the Palestinian issue”, including the US plan, Palestinian unity, and confronting Israeli intransigence, as well as bilateral relations with Russia. He noted that the US policy was aimed at imposing a solution for a Palestinian state in the Gaza Strip and turning it into a fait accompli. Hamas “stands against any such move and will confront it, and the Americans will not succeed in passing it,” he said. “The unity of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip cannot be compromised, and the solution of Gaza is rejected in all the forms that are discussed, including the mechanism of expanding the sector southward to include territories from Egypt,” Abu Marzouk added. The Hamas official stressed that Russian was able to play an important and pivotal role because it has maintained relations with all parties. “We have asked them to work effectively with all the files,” he said.