The US emphasizes normalization efforts separately in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, rather than focusing on the creation of a Palestinian state, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during an inter-Palestinian meeting in Moscow.
"We are aware of numerous confidential contacts between individual countries in the region. The US is striving to reassume the role of chief negotiator. However, reports indicate that discussions do not center on the establishment of a Palestinian state, but on 'normalization' initiatives in the West Bank and Gaza Strip," Lavrov stated.
According to the head of Russian diplomacy, what is happening in Gaza clearly confirms what Russia has been warning all partners in the Middle East for years. "They said that relapses of large-scale confrontation and outbreaks of violence in the region will inevitably be repeated until we are able to eliminate the cause underlying this long-standing conflict through joint efforts. Namely, the task of establishing a Palestinian state in accordance with UNSC and UNGA resolutions. The Palestinians must realize their right to establish a state within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Only such a just approach based on international law can lead to sustainable peace in the region," Lavrov stated.
At the same time, as the minister noted, "the United States does not pay attention to the interests of the countries of the region, which for many years have been distorted and not satisfied."
"It is clear that the effectiveness of our efforts will depend on whether everyone will be able to put the interests, goals and fate of the Palestinian people above the current nuances and differences in positions and approaches. If you announce such a step - the restoration of Palestinian unity on the platform of the Palestine Liberation Organization - it will take the trump cards out of the hands of those forces that, citing internal problems in the Palestinian territories, have used them to delay the Middle East settlement process," - the minister stressed. - "There are also forces that use the tragic events in Gaza to 'cement' the fragmentation and disunity of the Palestinian territories."
Israel's operation in the West Bank
Lavrov said Israel's military operation in the West Bank is becoming no less serious and brutal than in the Gaza Strip. "The military operation in the West Bank of the Jordan River is becoming no less serious and cruel than in Gaza," he said, the text of the statement published on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
At the same time, the Russian Foreign Minister stressed that the situation in Gaza is caused by US attempts to monopolize mediation efforts. "The Gaza Strip was overwhelmed by a wave of violence unprecedented in its scale. In many respects, this was the result of a long stagnation in the Middle East settlement process, caused by the US attempts to monopolize mediation efforts, to stop the work of the "quartet" of international mediators (the US, Russia, the EU, the UN) and promote the policy they consider necessary for themselves," Lavrov pointed out.
In addition, the Russian minister recalled that in various years Russia, as well as some Arab countries, including Egypt and Algeria, "made attempts to give all Palestinians an opportunity to meet, remove any misunderstandings and restore unity." "We consider this task important. We give you an opportunity, without limiting each other in terms of time, to try to reach common solutions to restore unity on the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization - TASS) platform," Lavrov added.
On February 29-March 2, Moscow is hosting an inter-Palestinian meeting with the participation of representatives of 12–14 organizations, including the Palestine Liberation Movement (Fatah), which governs the West Bank of the Jordan River, and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), which controls the Gaza Strip. According to Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Bogdanov, the purpose of the meeting is to help various Palestinian forces agree on uniting their ranks politically. The last meeting in Moscow took place in February 2019 behind closed doors.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS