MOSCOW – Palestinian Arab leader Mahmoud Abbas expressed hope yesterday for a swift renewal of peace talks with Israel and prodded the new Hamas government to forgo violence against the Jewish state.

While appealing to both sides of the conflict on a day Palestinian Arabs set aside to mourn Israel’s creation, Mr. Abbas expressed concern that the economic crisis in the Palestinian Arab territories would deepen if not resolved soon.

“We expect the new Israeli government to enter into talks with us, as we are its partner and believe in a peaceful resolution,” the ITAR-Tass and RIA-Novosti news agencies quoted Mr. Abbas as saying during a meeting with President Putin.

In a separate speech broadcast on Palestinian Arab radio and television, Mr. Abbas told Israel “we want to make a just and lasting peace with you.”

“Let’s sit at the negotiating table, away from the dictates and the unilateral policies, and let’s stop the pretext that there’s no Palestinian partner,” he added. “The partner exists, and we extend our hand to you to make peace.”

Mr. Abbas also signaled to the rival Hamas party that it, too, must pursue the path of diplomacy.

“The PLO, which led our people in its most difficult times, would not have survived until now, or received international recognition, had it not been forthcoming in formulating courageous political initiatives,” he said.

He also called on Palestinian Arab terrorists in Gaza to halt rocket attacks on Israel that have prompted harsh reprisals.

“The futile ‘missiles’ fired from Gaza should be stopped, as they only justify Israel’s aggression against our people,” he said.

An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman, Mark Regev, said his government wanted peace, but he dismissed the notion of bypassing Hamas and negotiating with Mr. Abbas.

“No one can ignore the reality following the Palestinian election; substantive political power has moved to Hamas,” Mr. Regev said.

The meeting took place at Mr. Putin’s residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. Mr. Putin, who has sought to boost Russia’s Middle East role, called Russia “a friend of the Palestinian people” in televised comments and praised Mr. Abbas for “big efforts to normalize the atmosphere in the Palestinian territories.”

Mr. Abbas thanked Mr. Putin for transferring $10 million to an account controlled by Mr. Abbas earlier this month, calling Russia a “friendly state that invariably supports the Palestinian people.”

Mr. Putin invited Hamas leaders to Moscow for a March meeting that provoked anger in Israel and surprise among the other Quartet members. But Russia has made no apparent headway in persuading Hamas to renounce violence and recognize Israel.

Mr. Abbas’s broadcast speech marked “the Naqba,” or “catastrophe” – the term Palestinian Arabs use to describe Israel’s creation on May 15, 1948. About 700,000 Palestinian Arabs fled or were driven from their homes during the war that followed the declaration of the Jewish state.

About 2,000 Palestinian Arabs from rival factions joined a commemoration outside the parliament building in Gaza City, waving banners, Palestinian flags, and models of keys symbolizing lost homes in what is now Israel. Ambulance sirens wailed for one minute to mark the occasion.

“Refugees are the cause of the conflict, and their return is the solution,” a large billboard said.