Palestinian state priority over Netanyahu Ukraine mediation: Zakharova

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
17 Feb 14:58
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US Under Secretary Victoria Nuland notes in a speech that for Ukraine to be able to win the war, Crimea, at the very least, needs to demilitarize.

Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland testifies before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on countering Russia on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023 (AP).

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova mocks the US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland's statements regarding the suggestion made to award Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the Nobel Prize if he can successfully convince Russian President Vladimir Putin to withdraw from Ukraine.

Earlier, on Thursday, Nuland stated in a speech at the Carnegie Think Tank that “If Bibi Netanyahu can get Putin out of Ukraine, I will give him a Nobel Prize.”

According to Nuland, Israelis have been "distancing" their position from the Western anti-Russia alliance's rhetoric and even considered "Israel" to have a "special relationship" with Moscow. Based on that assessment and seeking to further US interests, the Under Secretary explained "And we say to them [Israel]: use it to end this terrible and cruel war.”

Zakharova redirects the conversation

In response to Victoria's announcements, Zakharova reminded the US that what is considered a priority in West Asia, where "Israel" is located, is the Palestinian cause, both people and state.

The Russian MFA spokesperson wrote on the Telegram channel: “Victoria is better for the resolution of the Middle East conflict and the pure-blood existence of the Palestinian state."

Zakharova also remarked that did not know that Nuland had the authority to make "decisions for the Nobel Committee."

Occupation of Palestine not enough

It is worth noting that during her speech with the Carnegie Endowment think tank, Nuland also said that "Ukraine is not going to be safe unless Crimea is at a minimum demilitarized."

The Under Secretary further added that the US only recognized "Crimea as Ukraine" and that thus, Crimea is a "legitimate" target that Ukraine is hitting and the US is "supporting" that.

Earlier on Thursday, February 16, Politico reported that US State Secretary Antony Blinken, a day earlier, said in a video call with experts that the US is not actively encouraging Ukraine to retake control of Crimea, but the decision is Kiev’s alone.

According to the report, the US administration’s main focus is to assist Ukraine in Donbass.

After someone on the call asked if Washington was willing to assist Ukraine in seizing Russia's Crimea, Blinken considered that this would represent a red line for Russian President Vladimir Putin, which could provoke a wider response from Moscow.

Crimea became part of Russia following a referendum held in March 2014, in which nearly 96% of Crimeans voted for accession to Russia.

While Ukraine still considers the peninsula to be its own territory, Russia has repeatedly stressed that the decision made by the Crimean people was in full compliance with international law and the UN Charter.

Nord Stream will not proceed if Russia invades: US

"If Russia invades Ukraine, one way or another, Nord Stream 2 will not move forward," Nuland, told reporters in January 2022, months before the pipelines were blasted enduring them inoperable.

At the time, the Under Secretary also noted that "We will work with Germany to ensure that the pipeline does not move forward."

The European Parliament member and former Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski on September 28 had no reservations about who could have been responsible for the Nord Stream pipeline explosion, that occurred a day earlier, which shut off Germany from Russian gas.

Sikorski tweeted "Thank you, USA," along with a picture of the massive gas spill in the Baltic Sea. Off the shore of the Danish island of Bornholm, both pipelines sustained significant damage in what is now largely seen as a premeditated attack. Later, the Polish official deleted the tweet.

Then on November 1st of 2022, Zakharova asserted that the world needs to know about the text message sent from British Prime Minister Liz Truss to Blinken - "It's done" after the attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea.

"I want to know London's answer to the following question: 'Has UK Prime Minister Liz Truss sent a message to US State Secretary Antony Blinken immediately after the explosion of the Nord Stream pipeline saying 'It’s done?'' Zakharova wrote in her Telegram channel, continuing to say that millions around the world are waiting for an answer, and they have the right to know what role the English played in the staging of the attack.

On February 8, an account holding the name of famed US investigative journalist and Pulitzer award winner Seymour Hersh said that US Navy divers planted explosives to destroy the Nord Stream pipelines last year.

"Last June, the Navy divers, operating under the cover of a widely publicized mid-summer NATO exercise known as BALTOPS 22, planted the remotely triggered explosives that, three months later, destroyed three of the four Nord Stream pipelines, according to a source with direct knowledge of the operational planning," Hersh wrote in his Substack newsletter.

This comes to show that the US has made statements that have contradicted the facts on the ground, not only once, but time and time again, all in preparation for actions and cover-ups that serve their interests at the cost of global peace.