Statement by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin at the UN High-Level International Conference on “The Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution”
Distinguished Co-Chairs,
Ladies and gentlemen,
These days, with a delay of almost a month and a half, a high-level international conference in support of the two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is finally being held.
The developments in the Middle East, the unprecedented crisis and the dramatic escalation of violence there have once again proved that without a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian question, there will be no genuine peace and security in the region. Over the past two years, we have witnessed bloodshed, famine, attacks, and invasions of the territory of sovereign states. All of this is in violation of the principles of the UN Charter, international law, and the basic tenets of the nuclear non-proliferation regime. The continued prevalence of this vicious and dangerous logic is fraught with the most unpredictable and devastating consequences.
Meetings and conferences can be postponed, it can wait indeed. But Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem can no longer wait. The realization of their legitimate aspirations to have their own sovereign state and exercise their fundamental rights to self-determination and return has already been postponed for an unacceptably long 80 years.
As is well known, the two-state formula was laid down in the very first relevant UN decision, namely UNGA Resolution 181 of 1947, which included a plan for the partition of Palestine into two states, one is Jewish and the other is Arab, with Jerusalem designated as a separate entity under a special international regime. However, of the two states envisaged by that resolution, only one was created – Israel.
The USSR was the first country to recognize Israel both de facto and de jure, and diplomatic relations between the two countries were established almost immediately after the declaration of Israel’s independence on May 14, 1948. At the same time, Moscow has always supported (and still does) the creation of an independent and viable Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, capable of coexisting with Israel in peace and security. The State of Palestine has had its embassy in Moscow since 1990. The recognition of Palestinian statehood by Russia, like that by dozens of other states, was not done for applause, but in the interests of the two-state solution, and it actually helped to preserve it.
Russia, along with 146 other countries, reaffirmed its support for Palestinian statehood during a UNGA vote in May 2024 on granting the Palestinian delegation full UN membership status.
What is happening today in the occupied Palestinian territory, as has been rightly noted, defies description. Before our very eyes, there has been unfolding a tragic story of mass dehumanization, suffering, tremendous casualties, and destruction.
We have repeatedly stated that the Hamas attack and the taking of hostages, many of whom remain captive to date, deserve the strongest condemnation and denunciation. However, this attack cannot be used as a pretext for the collective punishment of millions of Palestinians, which has lasted over the course of 21 months already, nor should it become a reason for provoking a major regional war.
The number of Palestinians casualties is shocking, with over 60,000 people killed and 42,000 injured. As Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized just a year ago during the quarterly UNSC debate on the situation in the Middle East, this number is several times higher than the number of people killed over 11 years of conflict in south-eastern Ukraine; and, unlike Palestine, this is a conflict that Western delegations spare no words and no emotions to describe.
In the Gaza Strip, the number of those killed and wounded as a result of massive bombings, epidemics, and starvation is compounded by those who have been killed while waiting in line for food rations. As UN Secretary-General António Guterres put it, Gaza had already turned into a “children's graveyard” back in November 2023, and today “starvation is knocking on every door.” The UN WFP reports that one in three residents of the enclave is starving. From March 2 to May 19, Gaza was under a complete blockade, and now people have to choose between starving to death or dying in line for meager rations.
In the West Bank, military raids are compounded by violence on the part of settlers, who are acting with impunity. The pace of construction and expansion of Israeli settlements and outposts, along with expropriation and destruction of Palestinian property, has long broken every record. Against this backdrop, Israel is announcing plans to annex the West Bank, calling for the recolonization of Gaza, and legislatively cementing its rejection of a Palestinian state. For the Palestinians themselves, this will mean one thing: another catastrophe and exile.
Ladies and gentlemen,
We must particularly acknowledge the courage and resilience of humanitarian personnel, who against all odds continue providing assistance to people affected and those in need. Since the beginning of the current crisis, 483 people have been killed, including 326 UN staff members, many of them were killed together with their families. We express our condolences to the relatives and loved ones, as well as to the colleagues of those who have lost their lives.
This is the largest loss that the UN has suffered since it was founded 80 years ago. We should also warn against the real harassment vis-à-vis staff members of the UN and its specialized agencies who have been deemed undesirable, which is a direct violation of the UN Charter and the obligations of member countries under the Convention on Privileges and Immunities.
Dear colleagues,
There is only one way out of this bloody impasse, which is through an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire, the unconditional release of hostages and all forcibly detained people, as well as through ensuring safe and unimpeded humanitarian access, and relaunching the peace process on a universally recognized international legal basis centered around the two-state solution, with Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security. We consistently uphold these approaches of principle, which lie at the heart of Russia's position regarding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and will not be affected by short-term political fluctuations.
Thank you.
