Holly Johnson
The National / August 13, 2024
Palestinian President set for meeting in Turkey amid growing threat of region-wide conflict.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas discussed the war in Gaza with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, with Russia’s leader reaffirming his support for an independent Palestinian state.
The meeting in Moscow comes as the death toll in the enclave nears 40,000. The fighting has threatened to spill over into a region-wide war.
“What is happening in the Middle East, what is happening in Palestine, certainly does not go unnoticed on our part,” Putin told the Palestinian President in comments carried by the Tass news agency. The Russian leader said Moscow has “long-standing ties” with the Middle East, and Palestine in particular.
He also said the establishment of a “full-fledged” Palestinian state was necessary for long-term peace in the region. “The roots of this problem go far back and are connected with ignoring decisions previously made at the level of international organizations, primarily at the UN level, with the formation and creation of an independent Palestinian state,” Putin added.
Abbas discussed the war in Gaza, violence in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, and the genocide case against Israel in the International Court of Justice, a readout from the WAFA news agency said. Abbas also thanked Moscow for its “steadfast” support.
He stressed the need for international support for Palestine’s bid for full UN membership and called for a peace conference to show the international community was serious about “what remains of the prospect of a two-state solution”.
Abbas arrived in Moscow on Monday and was due to travel to Turkey on Wednesday for talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Putin has repeatedly condemned Israel over the war in Gaza, comparing its actions in the enclave to the Nazi siege of Leningrad during the Second World War. He has visited several countries in the region since the fighting began, discussing the war and ceasefire efforts with UAE and Saudi leaders.
Putin discussed the war with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim last month in Doha, which has served as a critical player in ceasefire talks.
Russia is a close ally of Iran, which backs Hamas and several regional groups fighting against Israel. Iran is widely expected to attack Israel directly in the coming days, after the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran two weeks ago.
In December, Iran’s president at the time, Ebrahim Ra’isi – who died in a helicopter crash in May – told Putin the West was backing “genocide” in Gaza, during a meeting in Moscow. The Russian leader said ties between the two countries were “developing well” and gained momentum in the past year.
The Iran-backed Hezbollah group is also expected to launch an attack against Israel. The rising regional tension has increased fears of an all-out war between Israel and Lebanon, where ministers have warned that a wider conflict could lead to the collapse of its fragile infrastructure.
Dozens of airlines have cancelled flights to Beirut and countries have urged their citizens to leave Lebanon immediately and avoid regional travel amid the escalation. Health authorities in Gaza said the death toll in the enclave since the start of the war was more than 39,900, with at least 92,000 injured.
Holly Johnston – Breaking News reporter, Abu Dhabi
