West Jerusalem puts diplomacy on the back burner in favor of 'military solution' to Gaza war, Moscow says
Israel is using peace talks to mislead the international community and hide its true intentions in the Gaza Strip, said Russia's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Dmitry Polyansky.
Speaking to the UN Security Council on Wednesday, Polyansky accused West Jerusalem of “They are persistently seeking a military solution to the problem, while trying to ignore the decisions of the UN Security Council.”
“The Security Council is united in its understanding that rescuing the remaining Israelis and foreigners by military means is impossible and that there is no alternative to negotiations. Israeli society also understands and recognizes this,” said the diplomat.
“However, the Israeli leadership, unfortunately, continues to treat the negotiations as merely a ‘smokescreen’ designed to distract the attention of the international community.”
Israel has requested a UN Security Council meeting after the bodies of six hostages kidnapped by Hamas were found in a tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip. According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Palestinian militants executed the hostages days before Israeli troops entered the tunnel. Among those killed was Russian citizen Alexander Lobanov.
Condemning the deaths of the hostages, Polyansky claimed that “The prisoners have less chance of survival as long as the Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip continues.”
“Today we mourn not only the Israelis who were killed, but all the people who died in Gaza, whether Israeli, Palestinian or citizens of other countries.”
In June, the Security Council adopted resolution 2735, which called for “immediate, complete and final ceasefire with the release of hostages.” Since then, negotiations have broken down several times, with both sides accusing each other of making unrealistic demands.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Hamas for the collapse of peace talks, saying the militants “rejected everything.” He stressed that Israel has no plans to give up control of the so-called Philadelphi Corridor – a strip of land in southern Gaza near the border with Egypt – arguing that the IDF's presence is necessary to prevent further Hamas attacks.
“People said: This will kill the deal. And I say: This deal will kill us,” Netanyahu announced this on Wednesday, the BBC reports.
The U.S. has continued to try to mediate between Israel and Hamas, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveling to the Middle East this month. But Netanyahu has rejected President Joe Biden's assertion that he is not “I do enough” to reach a peace agreement. “Hamas must make concessions” he said.
Speaking to the Security Council on Wednesday, UN officials reiterated their calls for the release of all hostages and an immediate ceasefire.
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