Creation of Palestinian state top priority, Putin tells Abbas

(JNS) — The Kremlin regards the creation of a Palestinian state as a top priority, Russian President Vladimir Putin told Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas during their first in-person encounter since Gaza terrorists carried out the worst single-day massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.

The two men last met in October 2022, on the sidelines of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia in Kazakhstan.

“We believe that in order to secure lasting and stable peace in the region, it is imperative to implement all U.N. resolutions, with the establishment of a full-fledged Palestinian state as a priority,” Putin stressed ahead of the talks in Moscow, according to a Kremlin readout.

“As you know, we have always advocated for a peaceful settlement, and we understand … that this problem has deep historical roots and is primarily related to the disregard of decisions made by international organizations, primarily the U.N., to establish and create an independent Palestinian state,” the Russian leader said.

He also expressed concern over the loss of civilian lives during Israel’s ground offensive in Gaza, which was launched on Oct. 27 after Hamas’s massacre of some 1,200 people in the Jewish state.

“We are closely following the unfolding humanitarian disaster in Palestine with deep anguish and concern. We are making every effort to support the Palestinian people,” Putin said, citing casualty figures fabricated by Hamas.

Abbas said that Russia was one of Ramallah’s “most cherished” friends. “We stand united with you and hope this unity will continue,” he told Putin.

“We deeply appreciate the attention and significance our Russian friends and brothers place on our issues, our suffering, particularly regarding the humanitarian situation and security challenges we face,” Abbas said.

“Rest assured, we stand unwaveringly with the Russian Federation,” he added, according to the Kremlin readout.

The P.A. leader said the U.N. Security Council, where Moscow is one of five veto-holding powers, must act to “stop Israel’s actions.”

Diplomatic ties between Israel and Russia have been strained since Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist group whose leaders Moscow has repeatedly hosted, launched its latest war against the Jewish state.

On Oct. 25, Russia vetoed a U.S.-sponsored Security Council resolution condemning Hamas for its cross-border terrorist invasion.

The next day, Israel condemned Russia for hosting a delegation of Hamas officials in Moscow, calling it “an act of support of terrorism.”

In November, Bloomberg reported that the Israel Defense Forces had stopped warning Russian forces in Syria ahead of every airstrike it carries out in the country, citing “people familiar with the situation.”

Two months ago, Putin claimed that Israel’s ongoing military campaign against Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip amounted to “genocide.”

“What is currently happening in Gaza in response to the terrorist attack on Israel does not resemble a war at all. It is akin to the complete elimination of the civilian population,” he told foreign reporters.

Putin blamed the U.S. for the situation, accusing it of “monopolizing” peace talks. “They pushed aside all previously established mechanisms for collective efforts to solve this extremely difficult problem,” he said.