Russia says Jerusalem should be capital of Israel and Palestine

MOSCOW, MAY– Russia maintains its position that Jerusalem should be the capital of both Israel and Palestine, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Wednesday.

“Specific parameters of the final agreement on the status of Jerusalem should be worked out at direct Palestinian-Israeli talks,” Zakharova told a weekly news briefing.

The international community should prevent the parties from taking “dubious, one-sided steps that complicate efforts to create conditions for the implementation of a two-state formula for solving the Palestinian problem,” she said.
Jerusalem should be open to the followers of Judaism, Islam and Christianity, Zakharova added.

Mass protests of Palestinians took place in the Gaza Strip on Monday when the U.S embassy was transferred from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
At least 60 Palestinians, including six children, were reportedly killed and more than 1,300 others injured by live ammunition and rubber bullets, said UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov.

Zakharova expressed Moscow’s concern over the “dangerous escalation” and extended condolences to the families of the deceased and wished the injured a quick recovery.

“Reaffirming the Palestinians’ right to peaceful protests and condemning the use of military force against civilians, we again call on the parties involved to show restraint and give up steps that provoke additional tension,” she said. – XINHUA