Russia expresses serious concern about the escalation between Palestine and Israel and calls on the sides of the conflict to refrain from confrontational steps, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday.
The ministry said the latest surge of tensions in the conflict was sparked by clashes in the Al-Aqsa Mosque on April 5.
“The ongoing escalation of violence in the area of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict causes deep concern in Moscow,” the ministry said. “We call on the sides that are involved in the conflict to refrain from confrontational steps, act in the interests of preventing further escalation, cessation of violence and the reinstatement of a sustainable ceasefire.”
The Foreign Ministry added that Moscow reaffirms the importance of observing the status quo of Jerusalem’s holy sites and respecting religious rights amid the ongoing escalation.
“Special discretion in these matters is required now, taking into account the fact that this year the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, Catholic and Orthodox Easter, as well as the Jewish Passover fall on April,” the ministry said.
The ministry said that without a clear, “comprehensive solution to this long-standing problem,” relapses of violent confrontation are inevitable.
“The key to long-term stabilization of the situation can only be the establishment of a full-fledged negotiation process aimed at developing a compromise formula for the Palestinian-Israeli settlement on a well-known international legal basis,” the ministry said.
