Lavrov Calls For Restart Of Direct Israel-Palestine Talks Amid West Bank Annexation Plans

Lavrov Calls for Restart of Direct Israel-Palestine Talks Amid West Bank Annexation Plans

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called on Friday for the early resumption of the direct Palestinian-Israeli negotiations under the auspices of Russia, the US, the EU and the UN, as Israel seeks to annex parts of the occupied West Bank

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd July, 2020) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called on Friday for the early resumption of the direct Palestinian-Israeli negotiations under the auspices of Russia, the US, the EU and the UN, as Israel seeks to annex parts of the occupied West Bank.

Israel's plans to extend its sovereignty over the illegal settlements in the West Bank, as well as the surrounding areas and connecting arteries, has been met with almost unanimous disapproval from the international community, with the UN, EU and UK leadership all calling on Israel to abandon its aspirations, with threats of partial sanctions.

"We believe that the efforts of the international community to create conditions for the immediate resumption and relaunching of direct Palestinian-Israeli negotiations under the auspices of the Quartet of International Mediators and with the active participation of Arab States are more necessary than ever," Lavrov said at a meeting with the head of Libya's Tobruk-based parliament, Aguila Saleh.

According to the minister, a flagrant violation of the international legal basis for a Palestinian-Israeli settlement would put an end to the prospects for the two-state solution and have the most unpredictable security implications for both the Middle East and North Africa.

"Restoring Palestinian unity is one of the key issues that must be addressed for our common efforts to succeed. In this regard, we noted with satisfaction the joint press conference held yesterday between [rival Palestinian factions] Fatah and Hamas, during which a decision was announced to jointly advance the interests of the Palestinian State on the basis of the Palestine Liberation Organization platform," Lavrov added.

On Thursday, the factions agreed to speak with one voice to confront the Israeli authorities' annexation plans. According to the movements' joint statement, the common goal of both factions is to create a Palestinian state with full sovereignty over all the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967 and Jerusalem as its capital.