Palestinian President Confirms to Russian Counterpart Perilous Situation in Occupied Territories

Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Moscow, on Tuesday, with the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas. During the meeting, the Palestinian President apprised his Russian counterpart of the latest developments in the occupied Palestinian territories and the relentless aggression on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, including Jerusalem, that targets defenseless civilians from women and children and elderly people and destroys the entire infrastructure, as well as hunger war. Additionally, Abbas reiterated the Palestinian position that calls for an immediate ceasefire to stop further bloodshed, protect the defenseless innocents, full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and halt the unabated assaults in West Bank and Jerusalem. He stressed the importance of stopping the dangerous incursions into the Islamic and Christian sanctities in Jerusalem and end the practices of squeezing the economy, in preparation for returning to international legitimacy-based political prospect, in accor dance with the two-state solution to end the Israeli occupation of the land of the State of Palestine and epitomize its independence with East Jerusalem as its capital. For his part, Russian President said his country is monitoring the situation in the Middle East with a grave concern, along with the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Palestine, emphasizing that Russia is exerting utmost efforts to support the Palestinian people. Putin underscored the unwavering position of Russia in this respect, adding that ignoring the international resolutions, particularly the UN resolutions related to establishment of the independent and sovereign Palestinian State is the prime reason of the worsening situation. He reiterated that Russian position has not changed, and it is imperative to establish the independent Palestinian State under UN resolutions. Source: Qatar News Agency