What PA's Abbas hopes to gain from Russia’s Putin following Moscow visit

Daoud Kuttab

Aug 15, 2024

In this pool photograph distributed by Russian state owned Sputnik agency Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) meets Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas in Novo-Ogaryovo, outside Moscow on August 13, 2024. — In this pool photograph distributed by Russian state owned Sputnik agency Russia's president, Vladimir Putin (R), meets Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas in Novo-Ogaryovo, outside Moscow on August 13, 2024. — ALEXEY MAISHEV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

This is an excerpt from Palestine Briefing, Al-Monitor's weekly newsletter covering the big stories of the week in Palestine. To get Palestine Briefing in your inbox, sign up here.

After a long absence from Russia, including the postponement of a visit scheduled for November 2023, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Moscow Monday for a three-day visit to the Russian capital. After his meeting with President Vladimir Putin Tuesday, he is traveling today to Turkey, where he’s expected to meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

In a statement, Putin spoke of the “great pain and anxiety” of the humanitarian crisis facing Gaza and called for the creation of “a full-fledged Palestinian state." Abbas told the Russian leader that the UN Security Council — where Russia holds veto power — should work to “stop the actions that Israel is taking,” according to a Russian readout of their talks, referencing a recent non-binding finding by the International Court of Justice in The Hague that deemed Israel’s continued presence in the Palestinian territories — the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza — illegal.

In a near-unanimous vote on June 10, the UNSC passed a resolution calling for a cease-fire in Gaza. The United States abstained from the vote, while all 14 other members voted in favor.