US policy towards the Middle East has caused the current tensions in the Gaza Strip, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said .
Speaking to the TASS news agency yesterday, Lavrov pointed out that Washington’s approach of monopolising mediation efforts and undermining the international legal basis of the Palestinian issue has led to the current situation.
The Russian approach, he explained, is based on the United Nations Security Council, the General Assembly of the United Nations and the Arab Peace Initiative.
He added that the key to establishing long-lasting peace is well-known – it involves the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, with its capital in East Jerusalem, living peacefully and securely alongside Israel.
While Moscow opposes terrorist attacks, he explained, it also does not support responding to them with collective punishment and violating international humanitarian laws.