Russia Hopes to Return to UN Decisions' Implementation After Israel-Palestine Ceasefire
© AFP 2023 ED JONES
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BISHKEK (Sputnik) - On October 7, Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise large-scale rocket attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip, prompting Israel to declare a state of war the following day. Both Israel and Palestine have so far reported hundreds of dead and thousands of injured as a result of the escalation.
Russia hopes that all parties will return to the implementation of the decisions of the UN Security Council to establish a Palestinian state once Israel and Palestine reach a ceasefire, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday.
"We very much hope that once this conflict is over, and we are in favor of this happening immediately, everyone will take seriously the obligation to implement the decisions of the UN Security Council to establish a Palestinian state based on the principles that have been endorsed in the UN," Lavrov told reporters after a CIS ministerial meeting in Bishkek.
The Russian foreign minister has also noted that the agenda of a meeting of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Foreign Ministers Council included the Israel-Palestine peace settlement.
"Today, we have touched on this topic, and we will see whether it will be possible to agree on a common position for its official presentation before the summit. But everyone is of the same opinion — and we discussed this today in a narrow format — that it is necessary to put an immediate end to this conflict, to respect international humanitarian law, and to prevent any manifestations of terrorist actions and the indiscriminate use of force, which can and has already affected a huge number of civilians on both sides," Lavrov told reporter after the meeting.
On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed that Russia stands for implementation of UN resolutions and creation of an independent Palestinian state.
“And this [Russian] position is well known both to the Israeli side and to our friends in Palestine. We have always stood for the implementation of decisions of the UN Security Council, bearing in mind first of all the creation of an independent sovereign Palestinian state,” Putin said.
Relations between Palestine and Israel have been adversarial since the latter's founding in 1948. Palestinians seek diplomatic recognition of their independent state on the territories of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which is partially occupied by Israel, and the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli government refuses to recognize Palestine as an independent political and diplomatic entity and continues to build settlements in the occupied areas despite objections from the United Nations.
