Russia considers Israel’s unilateral measures the main reason for the outbreak of violence in the occupied Palestinian territories, according to a speech delivered by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Lavrov’s speech was delivered during a UN Security Council meeting which focused on the situation in occupied Palestine on Tuesday.
“We cannot accept settlement expansion, house demolitions, (Palestinian) land confiscation, and mass arrests,” Lavrov said, adding “On the other hand, we do not turn a blind eye to the extremism of the discourse in the Palestinian street.”
“Against the background of all this, we believe that all factors must be gathered around the two-state solution, which includes a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital,” Lavrov said, stressing that it will be possible to restore trust only through direct negotiations on all core issues.
Additionally, the Russian foreign minister expressed regret that the United States and the European Union did not contribute to the process, “but they continue to take unhelpful and unfair steps towards all parties.”
The Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations have stalled since April 2014, for several reasons, including Israel’s refusal to release old detainees, halt illegal settlement activity, and deny Palestinians an independent state of their own.
For his part, the Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Riyad Al-Maliki, said in a speech during the meeting, “The process of displacing and replacing the Palestinians is still underway with one goal being pursued in broad daylight, which is annexation,” in reference to Israel’s efforts to annex the occupied Palestinian West Bank.
Al-Maliki stressed that the Nakba of the Palestinian people has been prolonged, and it is the longest period of denial of national, collective and individual rights in the world caused by the longest occupation in modern history.
Before the Security Council session, the Israeli delegate to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, demanded that it be postponed because of Israel’s celebration of “Memorial Day”.
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Russia, however, which holds the rotating presidency of the Council throughout the month of April, refused to respect the Israeli request, the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported.
Russia’s refusal, according to the Israeli paper, resulted in Erdan storming out of the meeting.
(AA, AJ, PC)
From Lavrov, sorry to say, just more of the SOS we hear from leaders everywhere. It’s time to face the music. Israel has NEVER intended to even be open to a two-state solution. It’s time for Lavrov and EVERYONE else to start pushing for full Palestinian civil and human rights, including the vote, according to the UN charter and Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Until then, all these speakers are just playing into Israel’s hands: the stalling game, an ethnic cleansing of attrition.
There is no extremism from the Palestinian, Arab side.
Words and actions against ersatz israel are warranted.
I don’t know how I got here? Just a 60 year old Oklahoman, who can’t understand why a County like Israel has allowed being hit with missiles, suicide bomber and such, and has not bull dozed the west bank into the sea… As an American, I can tell you if Mexico was doing what Palestine has been doing to the states, it wouldn’t be Mexico for long… Time for everyone to let these two deal with the problem and take out the trash.
Jimmy Gilbert, I hope you don’t represent typical USA of Zionists mentality. Your mentality is still in cowboys and Indians mode. Grow up man
Learn a bit of history, Palestinian are original Semitic people and have been living peacefully in that part of the World until Khazarian Ashkanazi Zionists Mafia cabal ocupaid Palestinian land in 1948. You really must get some history lessons. In this day and age Yankee mantra of shoot first and ask questions later only applies to warmongers. BTW are you getting your information from Uranus?