06 May 2021; MEMO: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said yesterday that Moscow supports defusing tension between Israel and the Palestinians in the occupied city of Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, Anadolu reported.
Speaking at a press conference with his Palestinian counterpart, Riyad Al-Maliki, in Moscow, Lavrov said: "The situation on the ground in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict requires the adoption of swift and responsible decisions," adding that "normalisation [of relations] between Israel and Arab countries must not marginalise international interest in the Palestinian issue."
He affirmed his country's commitment to the Palestinian people's rights in accordance with international resolutions.
Lavrov noted that Russia is working to organise a meeting of international quartet namely the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations at the level of foreign ministers.
For days, Israeli occupation forces have used force to quash peaceful Palestinian protests in the occupied East Jerusalem suburb of Sheikh Jarrah. Some 500 Palestinians in the neighbourhood have been threatened with eviction to make way for illegal settlers following a court ruling in their favour.
Al-Maliki called on the international quartet to play a more active role, adding: "We count on our friends in Russia to support the organisation of an international conference in order to prepare the grounds for a settlement."
