Moscow Awaits Proposals From Israel, Palestine on Netanyahu-Abbas Meeting

Moscow expects Israeli and Palestinian proposals on holding a direct meeting between Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — He said that Netanyahu and Assad expressed interest in holding talks in Moscow.

"Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposal on organizing an Israeli-Palestinian summit in Moscow with participation of Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Mahmoud Abbas is still on the table. Both sides expressed interest in holding such an event. We now await proposals on mutually acceptable timeframes for holding such a meeting," Bogdanov said at a conference.

In September, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Abbas announced their support for Russia’s effort to mediate talks on the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but laid responsibility on each other for the fact that the meeting had not been agreed yet. Later in the fall, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said there was no agreement about the meeting in Moscow yet.

Relations between Israel and Palestine have been wrecked for decades, as Palestinians have been seeking diplomatic recognition for their independent state on the territories of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which is partially occupied by Israel, and the Gaza Strip. The State of Palestine is recognized by 137 countries, including Russia.