Lavrov
© APRussian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
Russia's proposal to hold a meeting of the leaders of Palestine and Israel in Moscow without preconditions remains in force. The statement is from Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov:
"Russia will continue to contribute to efforts, including those in Egypt, to achieve Palestinian reconciliation between Ramallah and Gaza, of course, we support the need to resume direct dialogue between Palestine and Israel and the proposal we made several years ago to meeting of the leaders of Israel and Palestine in Russia without preconditions remains in place. It is impossible to guarantee sustainable stability in the Mediterranean region, including in Libya, Syria, Iraq and other countries that influence the situation in the Mediterranean, without a fair solution to the old Palestinian regional problem."
The Russian minister also emphasized that the solution to the Palestinian-Israeli problem must be based "on UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative."

According to Lavrov, attempts to review the international legal framework for settlement and replace it with certain "rules" that are not universally recognized will only aggravate an already difficult situation.

The Arab Peace Initiative establishes, among other conditions for achieving peace in the Middle East, the complete withdrawal of the Israelis from all occupied territories since 1967 and the recognition by Israel of the sovereignty of the Palestinian state with the capital in East Jerusalem.

However, with right-wing Evangelicals establishing significant political influence in Washington especially with Mike Pence as Vice President, it is not expected any advancements with this issue will be made. The Evangelical Christians, also known as Zionist Christians, believe in apocalyptic prophecies in which Israel will play a key role in fulfilling. It is for this reason that they completely support the state of Israel, even at the expense of the hundreds of thousands of Christians living under Israeli oppression.
About the Author:
Paul Antonopoulos is a Research Fellow at the Center for Syncretic Studies. He has an MA in International Relations and is interested in Great Power Rivalry as well as the International Relations and Political Economy of the Middle East and Latin America.