Kremlin pushing for Israeli-Palestinian summit in Moscow

Russia is pushing ahead with plans to host a trilateral summit with the Israelis and Palestinians to find a way to finalize a peaceful resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflict.

The Russians are pushing for a summit that will bring Israelis and Palestinians together for diplomatic talks, and which could culminate with a meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority (PA) head Mahmoud Abbas.

Russia’s Sputnik news reported last week that Moscow continues with its preparations for the first Israeli-Palestinian summit in the city.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov stated Friday that the Kremlin is working to ensure that the summit does not become “a meeting for the sake of the meeting.”

“Here you need to strive for it to be done at the appropriate time,” Gatilov said during a visit in Israel. “It is necessary to conduct a thorough preparation for the meeting so that it would really be productive … not just a meeting for the sake of the meeting.”

Netanyahu and Abbas have both voiced their support for Moscow’s effort to serve as a mediator and host a summit, but Abbas demands preconditions to the talks, while Netanyahu said the sides should meet without any preconditions.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a press conference, after addressing the United Nations General Assembly in September, that Moscow continued working with both Israel and PA to resume negotiations.

By: World Israel News Staff

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