Non-Settlement of Palestinian Issue Factor for Terrorists Recruiting Youth

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the non-settlement of the Palestinian issue over the last several decades is one of the most essential factors that allow terrorists to recruit the youth into their ranks.

VIENNA(Sputnik) – The non-settlement of the Palestinian issue is a factor allowing terrorists to recruit the youth into their ranks, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday.

"It is our belief that the non-settlement of the Palestinian issue over the last several decades is one of the most essential factors that allow terrorists to recruit the youth into their ranks," Lavrov told journalists after meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry and Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh in Vienna.

Palestinians seek the recognition of their independent state, proclaimed in 1988, on the territories of West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.

Most of the areas claimed by the State of Palestine were seized by Israel in 1967 during the Six-Day War. The Israeli government refuses to recognize Palestine as an independent political and diplomatic entity.

New violence erupted in recent weeks following attacks by Palestinians against Israelis in Jerusalem and retributions by the Israeli security forces, in which dozens have been killed and injured.