Hamas And Fatah Meet In Moscow Today, Palestinian Foreign Minister: I Hope For The Best Results, Don't Expect A Miracle

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki when with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi. (Twitter/@Minister_RI)

JAKARTA - Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said he did not expect a "chaotic" in talks between Palestinian factions in Moscow to discuss the formation of a united Palestinian government and the rebuilding of Gaza.

Talks between representatives of Hamas and Fatah's political factions are scheduled to take place in the Russian capital on Thursday, taking place days after Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh resigned.

The reshuffle, said Foreign Minister Maliki, was designed to build support for the expansion of the role of the Palestinian Authority after Israel's war against the Hamas Islamist group in Gaza.

"We hope that there will be good results in terms of mutual understanding between all factions about the need to support the upcoming technocratic government," Maliki said of the talks.

"Of course, we don't expect a miracle to happen just in a simple meeting in Moscow, but I believe meetings in Moscow should be immediately followed by other gatherings in the region," he said.

The Palestinian Authority, which was formed about 30 years ago as part of Oslo's interim peace agreement, has been undermined by ineffective accusations and the prime minister has little effective power.

Shtayyeh's resignation marks a symbolic change that underscores President Mahmoud Abbas's desire to ensure the Authority defends his claim to leadership as international pressure increases to revive efforts to establish a Palestinian state.

Foreign Minister Maliki, speaking on the sidelines of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, said the government's resignation was designed to prevent international partners from saying the authorities were not cooperating.

"We want to show our readiness to be involved and ready, just so that it is not seen as an obstacle in implementing any process that must be carried out further," he said.

On that occasion, Foreign Minister Maliki also accused the UN Security Council of "disappointing" the Palestinian people because of its inability to agree on a ceasefire, in line with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' comments that the agency's authorities "may have been fatally damaged by the lack of unity.

"Now in Gaza, it seems that a ceasefire is an unlikely goal to be achieved," said Foreign Minister Maliki.

"As a result, we saw a lot of people dying," he said.