A Russian-based Hamas website was closed by request of MK Robert Ilatov (Israel Our Home party), who was acting on inside information garnered by an Israeli-Russian website.
The Hebrew-language news site Omedia reports that MK Ilatov, together with other Russian-speaking Knesset Members of various parties, made an official trip to Russia earlier this summer. He received information that a Russian company named Data Force was operating a website on behalf of the official Hamas terror wing, Iz a-Din al-Kassam. The Arabic-language site was said to be rife with more hatred, invective and pro-terrorism views than even Iranian websites, Omedia commentators stated.
The MKs met with Alexander Torshin - Deputy Speaker of the upper house of Russia's legislature, the Russian Federal Council - who is also a member of Russia's War Against Terrorism Council. MK Ilatov, who also has good connections with other high-ranking figures in Russia, submitted an official request to have the site closed - and just three weeks later, the site was closed.
Omedia emphasizes that the operators of an Israeli Russian-language website by the name of www.izrus.co.il were instrumental in uncovering Data Force's involvement and causing them to admit as much. Izrus manager Michael Falkov told Omedia that when he publicized a recording of the original deal made between Hamas and Data Force, the latter soon had no choice but to admit its relation with the terrorist organization.
The site now features an announcement stating that it is "temporarily closed because the Zionists got angry."