Russia says Palestinians should have independent state with occupied East Jerusalem as capital

Palestinians should be given the opportunity to establish an independent state in the occupied West Bank and besieged Gaza, with East Jerusalem as its capital, coexisting in peace and security with Israel, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson has said.

Maria Zakharova advocated on Monday for a negotiated settlement to the Palestinian issue and other regional conflicts, reaffirming Moscow’s support for a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

She criticised what she described as renewed efforts by some Western government-backed “brain centres” to promote “alternative schemes” for the future of Palestine, including proposals linking Palestinian territories with neighbouring Arab states.

Zakharova said such ideas had previously been rejected by both Palestinians and Arab countries and contradicted the international legal framework for resolving the conflict, including UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, the Arab Peace Initiative and the Madrid principles.

“It is necessary for historical justice to prevail and for the Palestinians to be able to establish an independent state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip with East Jerusalem as its capital, co-existing in peace and security with Israel,” Russia’s TASS news agency quoted Zakharova as saying.

She said efforts to bypass the positions of Arab states in seeking a Middle East settlement are doomed to fail and would not lead to lasting stability.

Instead, Zakharova called for direct negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis to address final-status issues and the parameters of a two-state solution acceptable to both sides.

New crisis