Iran Press/Europe: Speaking at a weekly press briefing in Moscow Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova described the impending move as a unilateral implementation of US President Donald Trump's controversial proposal for the so-called peace between the Tel Aviv regime and the Palestinians, dubbed "the deal of the century," and reiterated the need for an international consensus to reject Tel Aviv’s plans.
The deal of the century envisions al-Quds as Israel’s undivided capital and allows the Tel Aviv regime to annex illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and Jordan Valley. The plan also denies Palestinian refugees' right to return to their homeland, among other controversial terms.
The annexation move will also put an end to the prospect of the so-called two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Zakharova added.
She further noted that Russia shares the same position as that of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) vis-à-vis such an attempt.
Zakharova highlighted the need to restart negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians under the auspices of the United Nations and the Quartet on the Middle East -- the United States, the European Union, the United Nations, and Russia -- to work out a comprehensive and sustainable solution to the issue.
The last round of Israeli-Palestinian talks collapsed in 2014. Among the major sticking points in those negotiations was Israel’s continued settlement expansion.
More than 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Eastern al-Quds.
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