Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has expressed concerns about the potential for the Palestinian-Israeli tensions to evolve into a wider regional conflict.
He criticized attempts to solely attribute the situation to Iran, suggesting such claims to be provocative.
Lavrov praised Iran’s leadership for their measured stance and their efforts to prevent the conflict from spilling over to neighboring countries.
“The Iranian leadership, I believe, takes a rather responsible, balanced position and only calls for preventing this conflict from spreading to the entire region and neighboring countries,” he said.
In his efforts, Lavrov mentioned that Russia would liaise with Palestinians, other Arab states, and Israel.
The Middle East witnessed increased tensions on October 7 following a surprise attack by Hamas militants from Gaza on Israel. This attack was described by Hamas as retaliation for Israeli actions at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City.
Following the attack, Israel not only blocked the Gaza Strip but also conducted rocket strikes in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria. Additionally, confrontations are ongoing in the West Bank.
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Moscow has always supported establishing an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
“As regards establishing a Palestinian state, we have a principled position. It has nothing to do with today’s crisis, although, of course, it brings this problem to the forefront. Nevertheless, we have always favored establishing a sovereign and independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital,” Putin said.
He underlined that there a differences in views among Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the rest of Palestine that shouldn’t be interpreted as hostility between the two groups.
While acknowledging internal disagreements within the Palestinian territories, including the West Bank and Gaza, he said they aren’t necessarily adversarial.
Pointing to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s non-aggressive stance towards the Gaza Strip, Putin emphasized the importance of unity within the Palestinian society.
