MOSCOW, March 4: Hamas, which is forming a Palestinian government, will not recognise Israel despite pressure from Russia to do so during talks in Moscow, a senior leader of the group said on Saturday.

The Moscow visit is the first by Hamas leaders to a major foreign power since it won parliamentary elections on Jan 25.

Abu Marzouk, who is part of the Hamas delegation in Moscow, blasted previous Palestinian accords with Israel and said they did not define the Jewish state’s borders.

“I gave the Russian officials a white sheet and I asked them to draw me a map of the Israel they want me to recognise and nobody was able to draw the map,” he said.

“Therefore how would you want me to recognise something that is so dangerous to the future of the Palestinian people.”

—Reuters