Putin settlement plan to consider concerns of all parties: Kremlin

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
17 Oct 2023 16:27

The Kremlin's spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, stated that a settlement initiative from Russian President Vladimir Putin has not yet been put forward and must first be worked out in detail with all parties to the conflict.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. (Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that a peace proposal cannot be put forward for the sake of announcing a settlement initiative but rather it must be put forward to truly implement the clauses of the proposals.

In that regard, Peskov noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin has not finalized and put forward an initiative for achieving a settlement for what the Kremlin describes as "the Palestinian-Israeli conflict".

According to Peskov, the initiative must first be worked out in detail with all parties to the war, saying that "to come forward with a settlement initiative, it must be properly formulated, it needs to be discussed with everyone, we need to understand the positions of the sides, we need to understand all of the trends."

The spokesperson explained that Putin has likely "already formed a certain opinion about the results of his telephone conversations" and could now discuss them with his Chinese counterpart and interlocutors given his presence at the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.

"It is, of course, important for two such powers as Russia and China to compare their positions on such complex problems," Peskov underscored, adding that "one does not come out with an initiative for the sake of an initiative," but rather "You come forward to somehow help the settlement."

Prior to putting forward a settlement initiative, "It is necessary to help get out of the hot war phase," as Moscow found that "the conflict has gone on so long [it has become chronic], and what is happening is a tragedy that is unfolding and a humanitarian [catastrophe]; these are all the consequences of decades of neglect in the Middle East settlement process," according to Peskov.

UNSC rejects Russian resolution for humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza

The UN Security Council voted to reject a Russia-proposed draft resolution to resolve the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. The resolution on Monday received four votes in favor, five against, and six abstentions.

"We regret that the council has once again found itself a hostage to the ego, to the selfish intentions of the Western bloc of countries," Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said after the vote.

The Russian mission to the United Nations has proposed amendments to its resolution condemning Israeli strikes against Palestinians in Gaza. The amendments were based on draft proposals made by other states and called for a humanitarian ceasefire due to the dire situation faced by civilians in the area.

Palestinian ambassador Riyad Mansour said the council had a moral duty to act in a bid to end the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, which he said was claiming 12 lives every hour.

"Don't send the signal that the Palestinian lives don't matter," Mansour said, adding, "Don't dare say Israel is not responsible for the bombs it is dropping over their heads."

The Palestinian envoy clarified that "what is happening in Gaza is not a military operation. It is a full-scale assault against our people. It is massacres against innocent civilians."

The Israeli occupation has cut off water and power supply to the already-besieged Gaza Strip. The UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees has warned that the Strip faces an "unprecedented human catastrophe" if water and other vital supplies are not restored.

Earlier, the Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed that the number of Palestinians killed in the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip has reached more than 2,700 martyrs, with around 10,000 injuries.

In the same context, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor stated that "Israel's relentless aerial and artillery attacks on the Gaza Strip have turned it into a hellhole where death and destruction prevail in extremely complex humanitarian conditions, without any basic life services."

In a report published on its website, The Monitor said it documented the killing of at least 14 Palestinians every hour on the eighth day of the Israeli aggression on Gaza, which included the dropping of more than 6,000 bombs on the densely populated area of over two million people, equivalent to a quarter of a nuclear bomb.

The Monitor pointed out that civilians in Gaza are without shelter and are moving from one death to another in inhumane conditions.

It added that basic services like electricity, water, communications, and internet have been disrupted, causing unprecedented and critically dangerous food insecurity.

According to the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, the Israeli occupation "continues to intensify its airstrikes and artillery attacks all over the Gaza Strip, including the complete destruction of residential neighborhoods, resulting in the annihilation of at least 82 families in horrific collective killings."

The Monitor highlighted that "Israel's attacks also destroyed at least 71 schools, the destruction of 145 industrial facilities, 61 media headquarters, the demolition of 18 mosques, and the damage to dozens of ancient churches and mosques."

The report said the Israeli aggression on the Strip led to "the displacement of over 820,000 individuals to UN-affiliated schools, governmental schools, and the homes of relatives and neighbors."

It added that "more than 450,000 people were displaced after their homes were destroyed or damaged in Israeli air raids."

"In the absence of a safe haven, tens of thousands of civilians sought refuge in hospitals to protect themselves from Israel's attacks, with over 35,000 people taking shelter in the Shifa Medical Complex alone."

The report stressed that evacuation notices for civilians in Gaza were issued without announcing a cessation of airstrikes or aerial attacks and without any safety or return guarantees.

According to the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, this amounts to a war crime of forced displacement.