MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Quartet on the Middle East (Russia, United States, European Union, United Nations) is currently holding a meeting in Munich.
The meeting is attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, US Secretary of State John Kerry, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson.
The Quartet was established in 2002 with the aim to mediate the peace process in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict aggravated in September by skirmishes between Palestinian and Israeli security forces at East Jerusalem’s Temple Mount holy site.
In mid-December, the Quartet issued a statement calling for de-escalation and "the need for significant steps on the ground" to strengthen Palestinian institutions and socio-economic prospects while respecting Israel's security concerns.
In the conflict between Israel and Palestine, Palestinians seek recognition of their independent state on the territories of West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.
