Putin. BRICS can play a crucial role in settlement of Israel-Palestine conflict

By Rhod Mackenzie

Russia and the BRICS countries can play a key role in resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

The Russian President Vladimir Putin stated this at an extraordinary BRICS summit dedicated to the deteriorating situation in the Middle East, RIA Novosti reports.

As the head of state noted, our country's position on this issue is consistent and not opportunistic. In particular, he recalled that we call for joint efforts of the international community aimed at de-escalation, ceasefire and political settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

And the Russian president is convinced that the BRICS countries and the countries of the region could play a key role in this work. At the same time, according to Putin, Washington's desire to monopolise the functions of conflict resolution has led to the current situation. This, he stressed, had shown the futility of individual attempts to cut the "Palestinian knot".

"The loss of thousands of lives, the mass displacement of civilians and the resulting humanitarian catastrophe are of grave concern. A large number of children are known to have died. That is terrible, but when you see children being operated on without anaesthetic, it certainly evokes special feelings. For more than a generation, Palestinians have grown up in an atmosphere of injustice, and Israelis cannot guarantee the security of their state. This was a consequence of sabotage of UN decisions providing for the creation and peaceful coexistence of two independent states - Israel and Palestine," the Russian leader concluded.