Russia urges restraint from Palestine and Israel in conflict around Temple Mount

MOSCOW, July 24. /TASS/. Moscow urges Palestine and Israel to exercise restraint in view of the situation around the Temple Mount in Jerusalem in order to avoid further escalation of tensions in bilateral relations, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday. "Russia urges both sides to demonstrate restraint and to avoid unwinding of a spiral of violence, doing all to avoid further escalation of tension in Palestinian-Israeli relations," the ministry said in a statement. "Access must be ensured to holy sites in East Jerusalem, which are of exceptional importance for followers of three monotheistic religions and for the whole humankind," the ministry said. "Coordination between Israel and Jordan, which plays a special role in governing Muslim holy sites, is meant to contribute to calming down the situation and maintaining the status-quo that exists around the holy places," it went on. Moscow concerned by violence Relations between Palestine and Israel have sharply deteriorated after July 14, when three armed Palestinians killed two Israeli military in the area of Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem, the ministry reiterated. Mass clashes were fixed in the following days in East Jerusalem and other parts of the West Bank between Israeli law enforces and Palestinians protesting against Israel’s imposing additional security measures in the area of the al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount. Tensions culminated on Friday July 21, which Palestinians declared as the "Day of Rage". Four Palestinians were killed in clashes, and dozens of people were injured, the ministry said. Another incident occurred on occupied Palestinian territories in the settlement of Halamish near Ramallah, when a Palestinian knifeman killed three Israelis. On July 22-23, the Israeli territory was twice shelled from Gaza, and the Israeli army retaliated with striking on Hamas positions. "Such extremely dangerous developments, the deaths and sufferings of innocent people, Palestinians and Israelis, give rise to deep concerns in Moscow," the ministry said. "We unequivocally condemn any terrorist activity. We believe that no extremist manifestations can be justified, no matter what motivates them," it said. Breaking the deadlock Moscow says the latest events confirm that "a persisting dangerous deadlock in attaining a lasting and fair Palestinian-Israeli settlement has been and remains the underlying cause of a periodic upsurge of confrontation and violence". "Not only urgent moves to stabilize and de-escalate the situation, but defining political horizons for advancing towards a lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis are in demand as ever in the existing conditions," it said. "Moscow is firmly committed to continuing assisting this both on the bilateral basis and through the Middle East Quartet of international mediators (Russia, the US, the European Union and the United Nations)," the ministry said. Read more