Putin Insists a Negotiated Peace and Two-State Solution Are the Only Way To Resolve Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Oct. 13, 2023, (EIRNS)—Speaking today before the Heads of State Council of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) summit, in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Russian President Vladimir Putin put forward specific proposals to address the crisis in Gaza and the attacks by Hamas on Israel that took place over the weekend of Oct. 7.

In his broad-ranging speech, the Russian President also addressed many more issues related to the CIS—whose nine members are former republics of the Soviet Union that became independent states in 1991. There will be a future report on Putin’s comments about the CIS as an effective platform for cooperation among its nine members.

But, on the Israel-Palestine matter, as reported by TASS, Putin asserted that “the huge tragedy that Israelis and Palestinians are now experiencing is a direct result of the failed policies of the U.S. in the Middle East.” Israel “has been subjected to an attack of unprecedented brutality and of course has the right to defend itself,” he said. Israel is facing “an unprecedented attack that has never been seen in history—not only in terms of magnitude, but also in terms of how it was executed.”

Nevertheless, he elaborated, “the conflict must be resolved by peaceful means.” A resolution must be based on the establishment of an independent Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital. Russia’s view, he added, is that there is no alternative to a negotiated settlement, whose goal should be the UN’s two-state solution. Promises were made to Palestine backed by the UN Security Council resolutions, so the Palestinians are within their rights to expect them to materialize, the Russian President stated.

Moreover, Putin continued, Russia is in a position to help with settling this crisis, as it has good relations with both sides. “Russia could do it. That’s because we have good relations with Israel over the past 15 years ... and traditional relations with Palestine, so no one will suspect us of wanting to do someone’s bidding.” If there is a demand for this, he said, “Moscow could help settle the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.” The only way to do that, he underscored, “is based on an agreement between the sides.”

Putin pointed out that the U.S. has come up with all kinds of “assessments of what is happening, and various options are emerging for how the events will unfold.” There are suggestions of “ ‘military and non-military measures’ that could be taken against the Gaza Strip,” which Putin likened to “those that were used during the siege of Leningrad during World War II.... We understand what this is related to. In my opinion, this is unacceptable,” he said. “More than 2 million people live there. Not everyone supports Hamas, by the way. Not everyone. But everyone will suffer, including women and children. Of course, hardly anyone would agree with that.”