Russia Renews Call for Palestinian State at UN General Assembly

Russia has renewed its call for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov telling the United Nations that the time has come to move toward Palestinian statehood.

Speaking during the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York on September 26, Lavrov said a Palestinian state should be established in accordance with international law, existing United Nations resolutions and established international frameworks.

Lavrov described the Palestinian issue as a central question in resolving the wider Middle East conflict and reiterated Moscow’s support for a two-state solution in which Israel and Palestine coexist in peace and security.

The Russian foreign minister also warned that the situation in the occupied West Bank is deteriorating because of continued Israeli settlement expansion. Lavrov argued that if settlement activity continues, it could eventually leave insufficient territory for the creation of a viable Palestinian state.

“If this continues, it will be impossible to establish a Palestinian state, because there will be no place left for it,” Lavrov said, according to reports of his UN address. He also criticized delays in implementing the Gaza peace plan approved by the UN Security Council and called for urgent international action to address the humanitarian and political situation.

Russia has repeatedly said that the long-term settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict should be based on the creation of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.

In an August statement at the UN Security Council, Russia described the establishment of a single, independent and contiguous Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza, with East Jerusalem as its capital, as the principal objective of the peace process.

The Russian position is also broadly aligned with the UN’s stated support for a two-state solution based on the pre-1967 lines. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said earlier during the current General Assembly that the goal should be two independent, sovereign and democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security.

Lavrov said Moscow remains ready to work with international and regional actors to promote stability and calm in the Middle East. His remarks come as governments continue debating the future of Gaza, the status of the West Bank and the possibility of establishing a lasting political settlement between Israelis and Palestinians.

For Russia, the latest UN statement reinforces its longstanding position that Palestinian statehood should form a central part of any comprehensive Middle East peace agreement. The statement also comes amid renewed international concern that developments on the ground, particularly settlement expansion in the West Bank, could affect the practical prospects for a future Palestinian state.