Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has arrived in Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the Israel-Palestine peace effort.
The two leaders will hold talks regarding Putin assuming a more supportive role following the United States’ recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. On Sunday, Palestinian officials said Abbas will seek the help of the Russian president to implement an international multilateral mechanism for sponsoring the peace process.
URGENT: #Putin discusses Israel-Palestine conflict with #Trump via phone ahead of Abbas meeting https://t.co/mBSvX0V9Sh pic.twitter.com/o7fPIZla3J
— RT (@RT_com) February 12, 2018
“The Palestinian side insists of forming a multilateral approach to overlook the peace process with the Israeli side,” Abbas advisor, Majdi Khalidi, told Voice of Palestine in an interview.
“Russia and Putin will have an important role in this matter, including launching an international peace conference and several important issues that require consultation with all relevant parties until we achieve the interest of the Palestinian people,” he explained.
Late December, U.S. President Donald Trump vowed to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv after his declaration that Jerusalem was the true capital of Israel. Following Trump’s statement, Abbas dismissed any future involvement of the United States in the peace process.
Abbas Tells Putin: 'We Refuse to Cooperate With U.S. in Any Form' https://t.co/G7mQcCgz7v
— Haaretz.com (@haaretzcom) February 12, 2018
Palestine views the United States’ decision as a rejection of East Jerusalem as the capital of any future Palestinian state.
Russia previously offered to host one-on-one talks without preconditions between Abbas and Netanyahu, in 2016, but these never materialized.
Last month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov remarked that the chances of Israel and Palestine resuming direct talks were “close to zero.”
"Speaking at the start of their meeting in the Kremlin, Putin told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that he was just off the phone with Trump."
Putin meets Palestinian leader, conveys greetings from Trump https://t.co/KsUEizmkT3
— Investigate Russia (@InvestigateRU) February 12, 2018
“We keep hearing in recent months that the United States is about to publish some ‘major deal’ that … will satisfy everyone,” he said. Lavrov added that Russia “has not seen or heard of such a document or even any statement.”
Abbas is scheduled to address the United Nations Security Council on Feb 20.
On Nov. 29, 2012, Palestine was designated a non-member observer United Nations state after a General Assembly vote, allowing Palestinians to join international organizations, including the International Criminal Court.
(teleSUR, PC, Social Media)
