Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed his country’s opposition to Israel’s policy of collective punishment in Gaza.
He urged the immediate preparation for the resumption of negotiations on the establishment of a Palestinian state, explaining that the International Quartet for the Middle East peace process failed to fulfill its tasks because it did not include representatives of the Arab world.
Lavrov made these remarks during his meeting with the ministerial committee appointed by the Arab-Islamic summit to discuss the situation in Gaza, in Moscow.
Lavrov said that Russia agreed with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League on the need for a ceasefire in Gaza, stressing that his country condemned terrorism in all its forms.
He added that terrorism should be fought without violating international humanitarian law, and noted that the humanitarian aid delivered to Gaza was not enough.
The Russian minister emphasized the importance of involving the regional countries in the mechanisms of resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
For his part, Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry expressed his appreciation for Russia’s support for the Palestinian cause and called for more action at the UN Security Council to achieve a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
Shoukry said that Egypt had drafted a new resolution to be presented to the Security Council on behalf of the Arab and Islamic groups, to address the imbalance in the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza. He explained that the continuous bombardment of the displaced people in the south had a clear goal, which was to force the residents of the Strip to leave.
He added that Egypt had rejected any attempt to displace Palestinians, and asked: “How many Palestinian civilian victims must fall for Israel to achieve its goal of this war?”
Shoukry also conveyed the gratitude of the Arab and Islamic countries for Russia’s ongoing support for the Palestinian cause and said that they expected Russia to do more through its permanent membership in the Security Council to reach a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed his country’s opposition to Israel’s policy of collective punishment in Gaza.
He urged the immediate preparation for the resumption of negotiations on the establishment of a Palestinian state and said that the International Quartet for the Middle East peace process had failed to fulfill its tasks because it did not include representatives of the Arab world.
Lavrov made these remarks during his meeting with the ministerial committee appointed by the Arab-Islamic summit to discuss the situation in Gaza, in Moscow.
Lavrov said that Russia agreed with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League on the need for a ceasefire in Gaza, and stressed that his country condemned terrorism in all its forms.
He added that terrorism should be fought without violating international humanitarian law, and noted that the humanitarian aid delivered to Gaza was not enough.
Lavrov also emphasized the importance of involving the regional countries in the mechanisms of resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
On the other hand, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said that “the process of forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza was continuing”.
He stressed the need to “launch a serious peace process, a ceasefire and the delivery of humanitarian aid” to Gaza, and said: “We are working to strengthen cooperation with international partners to stop the fire in Gaza.”
Prince Faisal bin Farhan also said that “there could be no talk about the future of Gaza before the cessation of violence and attacks on civilians”, and stressed the need to protect civilians in the Gaza Strip.
He added that “the selectivity we have witnessed in applying international legal and moral standards and condoning the heinous crimes committed by the Israeli occupation forces against unarmed Palestinian civilians had aroused the indignation of the Islamic and Arab world and pure human feelings.”
The ministerial committee in charge of the extraordinary joint Arab-Islamic summit held a meeting on Monday in Beijing, China, with Vice President of the People’s Republic of China Han Qing. The foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Indonesia, Jordan, and the secretary general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation participated in the meeting.
