Russia reiterated today that Israel’s illegal move to annex large swaths of the occupied West Bank risks the outburst of regional violence.

An attempt to extend Israeli sovereignty to parts of the West Bank will provoke a new round of violence in the region, stated Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova during the weekly briefing.

She added that such an attempt was a unilateral implementation of the US-touted Mideast plan, dubbed deal of the century, which is designed to force Palestinians into submission to perpetual Israeli dominance, and affirmed an international consensus on rejecting Israel’s intentions in this regard.

Such an attempt will also put an end to the prospect of a two-state solution, she added.

Elaborating on Russia’s position on the annexation move, she pointed out that Russia has clearly expressed this position, which is similar to that expressed by the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

She added that Russia’s position on the Palestinian question remains unaltered.

She explaining that Russia supports the two-state solution to the conflict and highlighted the need to speedily resume direct Palestinian-Israeli talks under the auspices of the United Nations (UN) and with the Quartet’s assistance to achieve a solution to all final-status issues and reach a comprehensive and sustainable settlement based on the UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.

She welcomed the recent joint press conference between Fatah Central Committee member Jibril Rajoub and Hamas deputy chief Saleh Arouri, describing it as a timely step towards restoring intra-Palestinian unity.

 

Source: Wafa Agency