Russian FM critiques Israel's West Bank annexation plans, stresses need for Palestinian State

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has highlighted numerous reports regarding Israel's intention to take full control of the West Bank.

"I have seen numerous reports that the Israelis have decided to annex the West Bank in a 'special' way, taking full control but without expelling the Palestinians, instead concentrating them in several municipalities — not in camps, but in municipalities," Lavrov said in an interview with American bloggers Mario Naufal, Larry Johnson, and Andrew Napolitano, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

Lavrov reminded that Russian President Vladimir Putin has consistently emphasized the impossibility of resolving the Middle East conflict without the creation of a Palestinian state and reliable security guarantees for Israel.

Both states were established by a General Assembly resolution in 1948. Lavrov noted that he did not remember the exact wording, but the essence was that the creation and existence of one state were conditioned on the creation and existence of the other.

He also remarked that today, those who advocate for the creation of a Palestinian state refer to the 1967 borders. "These borders are significantly different from the 1948 borders, which were supposed to be the borders of both Israel and Palestine," he emphasized.

"If you look at the map now, the 1967 borders are like outer space compared to what exists today, and the West Bank is riddled with Israeli settlements" the minister added.

By Khagan Isayev