The West Does Not Seek to Establish a Palestinian State: Lavrov

On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov asserted that the United States and its allies are not interested in the creation of a Palestinian state.

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"Judging by the current stance of the West, they have no intention of establishing a Palestinian state," he stated during an appearance in the Russian Senate.

Lavrov maintained that Western countries and Israel "do not want the unification of Gaza with the West Bank, as required by the decision on the creation of a Palestinian state," adding that the United Nations also does not "eagerly interfere in the situation."

"Meanwhile, Israel categorically claims that it will complete the operation against Hamas until the complete destruction of the group," he said, emphasizing that Russia is doing everything possible to achieve a ceasefire in the region and the release of hostages held by Islamists.

In Lavrov's opinion, the only possibility of finding a just solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is to convene an international conference involving representatives from the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Gulf Cooperation Council, and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, namely, Russia, China, France, the U.S., and the United Kingdom.

"An organization like the United Nations should play a key role in convening such an event. And I hope that the UN Secretary-General can take that initiative," he concluded.

According to the latest report from the Gaza-based Health Ministry, Israeli occupation forces have killed 18,200 Palestinians since October 7.

So far, the number of people displaced by Israeli bombings in Gaza has reached approximately 1.9 million, representing 80 percent of its population of 2.3 million residents.