However, the Russian Foreign Minister is confident that such a strategy is doomed to failure. He announced this at a press conference after a visit to Saudi Arabia, where he took part in a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
Lavrov stressed that Russia’s efforts to resolve the conflict between Israel and Hamas were thwarted by US actions.
“Numerous initiatives proposed by several countries in the UN Security Council, including the Russian Federation, were blocked by the United States,” the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry noted.
Lavrov also accused Israel of lacking the will to end hostilities in Gaza and conclude a peace agreement with the Palestinians.
“The United States recently proposed Joe Biden’s “three-phase plan” and passed a corresponding resolution in the Security Council, which is completely ignored, first of all, by Israel every time international mediators, such as Qatar and Egypt, try to do so. If we offer reasonable and compromise solutions, it seems that a preliminary agreement is reached, but then the Israeli leaders propose new conditions. This is sad and tragic,” Lavrov said.
Lavrov noted that the main problem is the unresolved issue of the creation of a Palestinian state for almost 80 years. He noted that after the events of October 7, 2023, Russia is actively seeking the adoption of a corresponding decision by the UN Security Council, but the United States has blocked all such attempts, imposing its approaches, which have already proven ineffective. In addition, Lavrov accused the United States and the European Union of destroying the “quartet” of international mediators, which included Russia, the United States, the EU and the UN.
According to Lavrov, at this stage Russia remains one of the few countries that maintains dialogue with all parties to the conflict: Palestinian factions, Israel, Iran and other countries in the region. Lavrov also noted that among the “initiatives of the Russian Federation” is the restoration of “Palestinian unity” so that Hamas and Fatah, represented by Mahmoud Abbas, put an end to their differences.
He also recalled that at the end of February a meeting of the Russian leadership with representatives of various Palestinian factions was held in Moscow, where for the first time all Palestinian factions signed the need to unite based on the principles of the Palestinian Authority Liberation Organization.
“This is an important step, but so far it is only on paper,” Lavrov added.
Lavrov also expressed fear that the crisis in the Palestinian Authority territories is already having an impact on the Lebanese-Israeli border, the events in Yemen and the situation in the Red Sea. He noted that there are forces seeking to provoke a bigger war in the region and that it is necessary to wage it, although he did not specify who exactly is trying to start such a conflict.
Earlier, Kursor noted that Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov tried to explain the reason for the invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops. He cynically claimed that Russia “never sought to seize foreign territories.”
