The "Quartet" of international mediators for the Middle East, including Russia, the USA, the United Nations, and the European Union, is slated for a meeting in Moscow on March 19th, It will adopt a statement to confirm, among other things, that it denounces the construction by Israel of new Jewish settlements on the occupied Palestinian lands. The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who will take part in the "Quartet's" session on March 19th , said as much in an interview for RIA Novosti.
Last Friday the "Quartet" already adopted a diplomatically agreed statement, denouncing Israel's decisions to build new settlements in East Jerusalem, which puts the holding of the indirect Palestinian-Israeli talks through mediation of the United States under threat. And Ban Ki-moon voiced certainty that it would be confirmed at the session of the "Quartet" in Moscow. By the way, the UN Secretary General thanked Russia for the timely initiative to hold the conference at such a critical moment for the Middle East peace process. Commenting on Ban Ki-moon's assessment of Moscow's role in an interview for the Voice of Russia, our Oriental studies expert Boris Dolgov said:
"Russia has taken a timely, adequate and practical stand on the issue concerning the convocation of the "Quartet" on the Middle East. Speaking about Russia's role, we want to say that it has relevant trump cards and levers of influence on both the Israeli and Palestinian sides. And quite another matter is the fact that, as it seems to me, it is using them insufficiently. But this initiative offers proof that Russia's role in the settlement of the Middle East issue is becoming more intensified. Let's be hopeful that the high appraisal of the United Nations will result in the strengthening of Russia's role in both the Middle East and in the settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli problem".
Ban Ki-moon voiced certainty that this time the leaders of the "Quartet" would play a significant role in the advancement of the peace process. Also because the USA has begun to make active mediatory efforts in the organization of indirect talks and has taken a single stand with the other members of the "Quartet", including the denunciation of Israel's settlement activities. Everything has gone so far that Israel's ambassador to the USA Michael Oren acknowledged that relations between the two states are now at the lowest level in 35 years. This statement followed the telephone talk between the U.S. Secretary of State and the Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, in which Hillary Clinton demanded that steps be taken for the establishment of trust with the Palestinian side, meaning, among other things, giving up plans for the construction of new homes in the Arab part of Jerusalem. Boris Dolgov says:
"Really, U.S.- Israel relations are not experiencing the best times today. It seems to me that this is linked to the arrival of Joe Biden in the Middle East, who aimed to set both the Israeli and the Palestinian sides down to talks. And of course, to the failure of his mission through Israel's fault. Since on that very day a decision was taken on the continued construction of 1,600 homes in East Jerusalem, which is regarded by the Arab world as the capital of the future Palestinian state. This came as a surprise for the USA, since the day before Joe Biden met with Netanyahu and provided assurances to him that the USA would always support Israel and defend its national security. It seems to me though that a cooling in the U.S.-Israel relations is transient because the USA regards Israel as its strategic partner in the Middle East, and I think that their relations will become normalized again" Boris Dolgov said.
Please rate: