Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday held talks in Moscow with Hamas leader Ismail Khania, the parties discussed ways to restore Palestinian national unity on the political platform of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the situation around the Gaza Strip, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
“During the meeting, ways to restore Palestinian national unity on the political platform of the Palestine Liberation Organization were substantively discussed. Various aspects of the current situation around the Gaza Strip were also examined, including in the context of efforts to achieve a lasting and comprehensive Middle East settlement on an internationally recognized legal basis”, – the message says.
In addition, on Monday, according to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, consultations were held with Khania of the Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for the Middle East and African countries, Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Mikhail Bogdanov.
The US President Donald Trump on January 28, 2020 introduced a peace plan, known as the “deal of the century”. The White House Plan recognizes Jerusalem as the single and indivisible capital of Israel, opens up the possibility for Israel to annex the Palestinian territories on the West Bank and extend its sovereignty to the Jordan Valley, and also proposes the creation of a demilitarized Palestinian state, deprived of control over its borders and airspace.
As the future capital of Palestine, the plan proposes the village of Abu Dis in the eastern suburbs of Jerusalem. The Palestinians and the Arab countries did not accept this plan, since, in their opinion, it deprives the Palestinians of the right to territories stipulated by UN resolutions. The head of the Palestinian National Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, also rejected the new plan, saying that the Palestinians insisted on recognizing their state within 1967 with its capital in Jerusalem.