The Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov met with a delegation from the Gaza-based Islamic Jihad movement on Wednesday. Both sides have exchanged views on the latest developments in the Middle East, including unity among Palestinian factions and a ‘deal of the century’ proposed by the White House.
Islamic Jihad’s visit to Moscow comes at an official invitation by the Russian Foreign Ministry. The Islamic Jihad leader met with the Russian top diplomat in Moscow. Mr Ziyad al-Nakhalah said the conversation was fruitful and held in a positive and constructive way, the Palestine al-Yawm reported.
On Wednesday, the Islamic Jihad delegation’s head voiced his concern regarding the US scheme, stressing it strives to “eliminate the Palestinian problem, as well as to give up Jerusalem [al-Quds], the West Bank and the right of return of refugees”.
The Mideast scheme by the US is just taking away the Palestinian people’s “historical rights and national principles,” said Islamic Jihad’s chief. According to Mr al-Nakhalah, the path to restoring national unity lies in building a source of national authority under the 2017 Beirut agreement.
According to a communiqué issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry, al-Nakhalah and Lavrov discussed the Middle East peace efforts and the situation in the West Bank and Gaza as well as the need to restore the Palestinian unity.
The Middle East plan by the US as the main concern for Palestine’s unity
Following Trump releasing the ‘deal of the century’ in Washington on January 28, Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas political bureau chief, travelled to Russia. The Middle Eastern politician has praised the country for defending Palestinian rights and dismissing Trump’s scheme.
Trump has been insisted on the endorsement of occupied Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel’s “capital” as he outlines his administration’s self-styled Mideast plan. That ‘Vision for Peace’ bars Palestinian refugees from returning to their homeland, regards Jerusalem al-Quds as “Israel’s undivided capital” and allows the regime to annex West Bank settlements and the Jordan Valley.
All Palestinian groups have unanimously rejected the US plan, which largely meets Israel’s demands while creating a Palestinian state with limited control over its own security and borders.
