On Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the continuous tension in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone is inching towards a precarious juncture.
In a statement, the Russian Ministry pointed out that the escalating conflict regularly pushes the situation into a critical phase, which often results in civilian casualties and threatens stability not only in the region but worldwide.
The Ministry noted that, at this stage, collective diplomacy efforts regarding the Arab-Israeli resolution seem to be floundering.
This state of affairs can be largely attributed to the U.S.’s unilateral decision to “suspend” the activities of the Middle East Quartet, an international mediation committee comprising representatives from Russia, the U.S., the European Union, and the United Nations.
It also highlighted Moscow’s initiative in April to propose a consultative meeting involving Russia, the League of Arab States, and a group of regional countries, with the aim of fostering peace in the Middle East.
The West Bank has experienced an alarming escalation in tension in recent days, amid calls within Israeli political circles for a wide-ranging military operation.
This followed an incident last Tuesday where a drive-by shooting from a Palestinian vehicle near a gas station in the northern West Bank settlement of “Eli” resulted in the deaths of four Israeli settlers out of eight who were injured. The individuals responsible for the attack were later neutralized.
In a separate incident last Monday, an exchange of gunfire resulted in the death of six Palestinians as an Israeli force entered the city of Jenin and its camp. Furthermore, a bomb detonation in a military vehicle in the same city caused injuries to seven Israeli soldiers.
