Lavrov explains root cause of extremism in Middle East

Russia has long maintained that establishing a Palestinian state is the only way to achieve lasting peace in the region

The unresolved issue of Palestinian statehood is the “main factor fueling extremism” in the Middle East, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.

In an interview with RT on Thursday, Lavrov welcomed US President Donald Trump’s peace plan aimed at ending the Gaza war. Earlier that day, Israel and the militant group Hamas agreed to begin implementing the plan’s initial steps toward a potential ceasefire.

“We have repeatedly made it clear to Israel that the unresolved Palestinian issue, lingering for nearly 80 years, remains the main factor fueling extremism in the Middle East,” Lavrov said.

He added that generations of Palestinian children grow up believing they should have their own state – a goal backed by a UN resolution – yet, as he noted, “Israel was created, whereas Palestine was not.”

True, extremism is being fueled there… When generation after generation grows up in a society where their legitimate UN-approved aspirations are ignored, such sentiments can hardly be contained.

Lavrov added that Russia “strongly condemned the terrorist attack” conducted by the militant group on October 7, 2023, in which around 1,200 Israelis were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage.

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However, Israel’s “collective punishment of the Palestinian people” also constitutes “a gross violation of international humanitarian law,” he added. According to the local health authorities, The Israeli blockade and ongoing military operation in the enclave have so far claimed the lives of more than 67,000 Palestinians.

Lavrov noted that despite Trump’s peace plan having “rather vague” phrasing regarding Palestinian statehood, it is “the best solution currently on the table.”

Russia recognized Palestinian statehood in 1988, shortly after the Palestinian Declaration of Independence.