Russia expresses its serious concern over Israel's plans for large-scale expansion of settlements in the West Bank, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova told a briefing.
"We would like to express particular concern in connection with the decision of the Israeli government to approve a large-scale plan for the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank after the agreements on normalization [with the UAE and Bahrain] signed in Washington on September 15. We note that a number of new settlement projects involve the construction of additional sections and the security separation wall in East Jerusalem. In fact, this means the annexation of Palestinian territories in accordance with the so-called "deal of the century" promoted by the US administration," she said.
The diplomat confirmed the constancy of Moscow's principled line in support of the two-state solution of the Palestinian problem based on the universally recognized international legal framework. "We call for the speedy establishment of direct negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians under the auspices of the UN to find a mutually acceptable solution to all final status issues and achieve a comprehensive and sustainable settlement," Zakharova stressed.
The approval by Israeli authorities of plans to build new housing in the West Bank on October 14 and 15 was the first since the signing of agreements on the normalization of relations of the Jewish state with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in Washington on September 15. Last time the Israeli civil administration of the West Bank promoted plans of building housing in settlements on February 27, 2020.
Israel's ongoing construction in the West Bank is considered one of the main obstacles to resolving the decades-long Palestinian-Israeli confrontation. In December 2016, the UN Security Council (UNSC) adopted Resolution 2334 demanding that Israel immediately stop settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territories. Israel then said that it would not comply with the provisions of this document of the UN Security Council.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
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Based on materials from TASS