An attempt to extend Israeli sovereignty to the West Bank will not only put an end to the prospect of a two-state solution to the Palestinian problem, but will also provoke a dangerous new round of violence in the region, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said at a briefing.
"We believe that the attempt to extend Israeli sovereignty to the Palestinian territories will not only put an end to the prospect of a two - state solution, but also most likely provoke a new dangerous round of violence in the region, further inflame radical protest moods," Zakharova said.
The diplomat recalled that the consistent line of the Russian Federation in support of a two-state solution to the Palestinian problem on the basis of a generally recognized international legal framework remained unchanged. "At the same time, we believe that it is necessary to seek an early resumption of direct negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians under the auspices of the UN and with the assistance of the Quartet (Russia, the US, the EU and the UN) to resolve all final status issues and achieve a comprehensive and sustainable settlement based on the UN resolutions and, of course, the Arab peace initiative, "she said.
At the end of May, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the date of annexation of parts of the West Bank as part of the "deal of the century" of US President Donald Trump. According to Netanyahu, the extension of Israeli sovereignty to the territory of Jewish settlements in the West Bank should have occurred on July 1. Later, the Minister of Water Resources and Higher Education, Zeev Elkin, said in an interview with the local press that the date of annexation could be moved by several days or weeks.
On Monday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi said in an interview with radio Kan that the extension of Israeli sovereignty to parts of the West Bank was not planned for the next few days.
On January 28, Trump presented a peace plan known as the "deal of the century". The White House plan recognizes Jerusalem as the united and indivisible capital of Israel, opens up the possibility for Israel to annex the Palestinian territories in the West Bank and extend its sovereignty to the Jordan valley, and also proposes the creation of a demilitarized Palestinian state without control over its borders and airspace. The plan proposes the village of Abu Dis in the Eastern suburbs of Jerusalem as the future capital of Palestine.
The Palestinians and a number of countries did not accept this plan, as it, in their opinion, deprives the Palestinians of the right to those territories that are provided for by UN resolutions. The head of the Palestinian national authority, Mahmoud Abbas, also rejected the new plan, saying that the Palestinians insist on recognizing their state within the borders of 1967 with Jerusalem as its capital.
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Photo: Alexander Shcherbak / TASS