Kremlin Distances From Kadyrov's Statements On Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published May 12, 2021 | 05:30 PM

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th May, 2021) The comments made by the head of Russia's Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, regarding the Israeli-Palestinian escalation are not a reflection of Moscow's official stance, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.

Kadyrov has called on Israel to apologize for the clashes that occurred between Israeli forces and Palestinians in East Jerusalem over this past weekend.

"You know that the foreign policy of the Russian Federation is formulated by the head of state - the constitution. This position was expressed the day before in a corresponding statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," Peskov said, when asked about Kadyrov's remarks. The Kremlin spokesman emphasized that the Chechen leader's words cannot reflect Moscow's official stance on the issue.

Earlier on Wednesday, Peskov said that the Kremlin was calling on Israel and Palestine to exercise restraint and find the strength to settle differences in line with United Nations Security Council resolutions.

On Tuesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Moscow was deeply concerned about the Gaza escalation and the unrest in East Jerusalem and was calling on the parties to exercise restraint.

Zakharova said that Russia was ready to step up efforts to resume the negotiation process between Israel and Palestine, including with the use of the capabilities of the middle East Quartet of international mediators.

The unrest in East Jerusalem has been ongoing for several days over an Israeli court's decision to evict several Palestinian families from the area. More than 1,000 Palestinians have been injured in clashes with the Israeli forces this month, according to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Israel has also reported injuries among its law enforcement officers.

At the start of this week, a major escalation began at the Gaza border with more than 1,000 rockets fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip since Monday, according to the Israeli army. In response, Israel launched strikes against Gaza. The Palestinian Health Ministry said on Wednesday that the death toll from the Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip had surpassed 40.