Russia strongly condemns the violence against civilians in Israel and Palestine. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin said this on Sunday, speaking by video link at an extraordinary high-level meeting of the UN Security Council on the Palestinian-Israeli settlement.
"We strongly condemn the use of force and violence against civilians both in Israel and in Palestine. There must be an immediate end to the armed confrontation, which has already led to the death and injury of dozens of people, including women and children," he said.
The diplomat expressed "sincere condolences to the families of the dead and wounded" from both sides and said that "the rapid degradation of the situation in the conflict zone" caused "deep concern" in Moscow. "The parties must realize their responsibility for the fates of millions of Israelis and Palestinians, for the preservation of internal civil consciousness," Vershinin added. - "The issue of protecting medical personnel requires special attention."
The Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia stressed that the establishment of a cease-fire regime remains a priority task in the settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
"The priority task now is to cease fire and stop the bloodshed. We call on the parties to observe the norms of international humanitarian law, not to allow damage to the civilian population, as well as to the infrastructure used by journalists and the media," he pointed out.
Attempts to change the status of East Jerusalem
Russia considers attempts to change the geographic, demographic and historical status of East Jerusalem to be null and void, Vershinin added.
"For now it is necessary to strictly respect the status quo of holy places, to ensure the rights and freedoms of believers to worship in East Jerusalem - the cradle of the three monotheistic religions - and to take into account the high sensitivity of this issue. In this regard, we consider null and void any attempt to change the geographical, demographic and historical character and status of East Jerusalem," he said.
Vershinin noted that another aggravation of the situation is caused by a combination of factors, the main one being the absence of a direct negotiation process between Palestine and Israel. "It is in such negotiations that Palestinians and Israelis are called upon to work out solutions to all fundamental final status issues," he stressed.
Restarting dialogue
Moscow calls for creating the necessary conditions for restarting the peace dialogue between Palestine and Israel as soon as possible, the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister said.
"It is necessary to form as soon as possible the appropriate conditions for restarting the peaceful Palestinian-Israeli dialogue based on the well-known decisions of the UN Security Council and General Assembly, the principle of two states, Palestine and Israel, coexisting in peace and security," he said.
Vershinin noted what exactly is required for a dialogue between Palestine and Israel to take place. "What is required is the rejection of any unilateral steps, including settlement activity, destruction of Palestinian residences, eviction of the Arab population from their ancestral places of residence, provocation and incitement to violence. The practice of creating irreversible realities on the ground that would predetermine the final solution must stop," he specified.
Vershinin also said that the Russian side's proposal to hold a meeting in Moscow between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas amid the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict remains valid.
"Our proposal to organize a contact between the heads of Israel and Palestine in Moscow remains in force," Vershinin said.
Meetings of the Middle East Quartet
The Russian Deputy Foreign Minister noted that Russia calls for an urgent meeting of the Middle East Quartet of international mediators (UN, EU, Russia and US), including in an enlarged format.
"We believe it is important to hold an urgent meeting of the Middle East Quartet of international mediators at the ministerial level," he said.
"In order to coordinate the Quartet with the key regional players, we also suggest creating a ministerial meeting in an enlarged format involving the leading countries of the region," Vershinin added.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Creative Commons
Based on materials from TASS