The opening ceremony for the US Embassy in Jerusalem took place on Monday amid clashes on the Gaza Strip during which dozens of Palestinians were killed.
Russia voiced concern on Wednesday about the escalation of the situation in the Gaza Strip and called on all parties to show restraint and refrain from steps that provoke tension.
“Moscow is extremely concerned about this dangerous escalation; we express our sincere condolences to the families and friends of the Palestinians killed, wishes for a speedy recovery of the victims,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
“While reaffirming the Palestinians’ right to peaceful protests and condemning the use of military force against the civilian population, we again call on the parties involved to show restraint and to give up steps that provoke additional tension,” she said at a briefing, according to Sputnik.
Meanwhile, Zakharova said that Russia’s position on Al-Quds (Jerusalem) remains unchanged, noting that Moscow advocates a two-state solution.
More than 60 Palestinians have been martyred by the Israeli occupation forces during protests along Gaza border against relocating US embassy from Tel Aviv to Al-Quds.
In December 2017, US President Donald Trump recognized Al-Quds as the capital of the Zionist entity and ordered the US embassy to be relocated. The decision fueled unrest across the Middle East and has been condemned by other countries.
Syria’s Douma
On the other hand, Zakharova said that the report by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on the alleged chemical attack in the Syrian town of Douma will be released in late May.
“Samples and other physical evidence have been taken to the Hague for laboratory tests, which will take two-three weeks. We will be able to draw conclusions on the final results of the mission’s work in the city of Douma no earlier than late May, when the report of the mission will be released,” Zakharova told the briefing.
Russia intends to seek a de-politicized investigation into reports of alleged chemical attacks in Syria, Maria Zakharova added.
According to her, Moscow expects that the outcome of the OPCW investigation into the alleged incident in Douma will be “thorough and verified from a professional point of view.”
According to Zakharova, Russia hopes that these conclusions “will help restore the real picture of what happened on April 7 in the city of Douma and confirm the inconsistency of any far-fetched and unproven claims against Damascus, which served as a pretext for illegal military action by the United States, UK and France, in gross violation of the UN Charter.”
Source: Agencies
