Israeli,Palestinian
© www.i24news.tvA Palestinian protester holds up his national flag in front of an Israeli soldier during a demonstration against the construction of Jewish settlements in Jerico.
The Russian Foreign Ministry called illegal the new expropriation of land by Israel in the Palestinian territories, according to a statement issued on Friday. Moscow expressed "concern about the settlement projects of Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories."

"A few days ago, the Israeli authorities announced the expropriation of 154.5 hectares of land near the town of Jericho in the West Bank of the Jordan River. This area has been declared 'the land of the Israeli state,'" the statement reads.

"These actions are illegal under international law and the decisions on them should be reviewed," the ministry stressed. Moscow urged "all the sides to refrain from unilateral steps that undermine the prospects of the Palestinian issue settlement on the internationally recognized basis."