Moscow has urged the Israeli government to urgently put an end to violent clashes with Palestinians, as security forces crack down on unrest in East Jerusalem and are reportedly considering a full-scale ground operation in Gaza.
On Wednesday, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov held a call with Mousa Abu Marzuk, a senior representative of Hamas, the de facto government in Gaza. During the talks, Marzuk warned of a worsening humanitarian situation in Eastern Jerusalem, as well as reported shelling of residential areas in Gaza.
The foreign ministry in Moscow later issued a statement which “emphasized the importance of putting an immediate end to the violence, as well as the inadmissibility of attacks on civilians, regardless of their nationality and religion.” The diplomats added that this applied to both “strikes on civilian targets in Israeli and Palestinian territory.” Furthermore, they insisted that Israel must maintain “the status quo of Jerusalem’s sacred sites” and “immediately” stop all settlement activities in Palestinian areas.
Large-scale riots broke out in Palestinian areas of East Jerusalem, close to the Temple Mount, one of the most sacred sites for both Islamic and Jewish believers. Moves by Israeli officials to evict more than 70 Palestinians from homes in the nearby Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood have sparked outrage in the Middle East and become the focus of an international campaign. Right-wing Jewish organizations had launched legal action to take ownership of the land on which the residences are built, with an Israeli court ruling that it belonged to the religious associations since before 1948, when the state was founded. A number of evictions have been halted pending legal action.
Israel’s forces have since fired tear gas and deployed stun grenades in an attempt to quell the unrest in East Jerusalem, in what London-based Amnesty International has described as “abusive and wanton force against largely peaceful Palestinian protesters” in the partitioned city. Hundreds of people have reportedly been wounded, including both protesters and dozens of police officers. The Israeli government insists that it is taking only proportionate measures.
The US has since reiterated that its support for “Israel’s security, for its legitimate right to defend itself and its people, is fundamental and will never waver.” However, a White House statement went on to add that Jerusalem “must be a place of co-existence.” The EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrel, has also argued that “indiscriminate launching of rockets from Hamas and other groups towards Israeli civilians is unacceptable,” but said the country’s response must be “proportionate and with maximum restraint in the use of force.” He added that proposed evictions in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood were a “matter of serious concern” and “such actions are illegal under international humanitarian law and only serve to fuel tensions on the ground.”
China, Norway and Tunisia have since issued a call on the UN Security Council, of which Russia is a permanent member, to hold emergency talks to deal with the growing crisis.
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