Russia has long maintained that establishing a Palestinian state is the only way to achieve lasting peace in the region<\/p>\n
The unresolved issue of Palestinian statehood is the \u201cmain factor fueling extremism\u201d in the Middle East, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.
\nIn an interview with RT on Thursday, Lavrov welcomed US President Donald Trump\u2019s peace plan aimed at ending the Gaza war. Earlier that day, Israel and the militant group Hamas agreed to begin implementing the plan\u2019s initial steps toward a potential ceasefire.
\n\u201cWe have repeatedly made it clear to Israel that the unresolved Palestinian issue, lingering for nearly 80 years, remains the main factor fueling extremism in the Middle East,\u201d Lavrov said.
\nHe added that generations of Palestinian children grow up believing they should have their own state \u2013 a goal backed by a UN resolution \u2013 yet, as he noted, \u201cIsrael was created, whereas Palestine was not.\u201d<\/p>\n
True, extremism is being fueled there\u2026 When generation after generation grows up in a society where their legitimate UN-approved aspirations are ignored, such sentiments can hardly be contained.<\/p>\n
Lavrov added that Russia\u00a0\u201cstrongly condemned the terrorist attack\u201d\u00a0conducted by the militant group on October 7, 2023, in which around 1,200 Israelis were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Top Hamas official announces end to Gaza war<\/p>\n
However, Israel\u2019s \u201ccollective punishment of the Palestinian people\u201d also constitutes \u201ca gross violation of international humanitarian law,\u201d he added. According to the local health authorities, The Israeli blockade and ongoing military operation in the enclave have so far claimed the lives of more than 67,000 Palestinians.
\nLavrov noted that despite Trump\u2019s peace plan having \u201crather vague\u201d phrasing regarding Palestinian statehood, it is\u00a0\u201cthe best solution currently on the table.\u201d
\nRussia recognized Palestinian statehood in 1988, shortly after the Palestinian Declaration of Independence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Russia has long maintained that establishing a Palestinian state is the only way to achieve lasting peace in the region The unresolved issue of Palestinian statehood is the \u201cmain factor…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20039,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20038","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t