Russian, Palestinian officials discuss Palestinian-Israeli conflict in Moscow

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) — Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin discussed the Palestinian-Israeli conflict with Ahmed Majdalani, a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and secretary-general of the Palestinian Popular Struggle Front, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.

According to a ministry statement, the meeting took place Monday on the sidelines of the 15th Middle East Conference of the Valdai International Discussion Club in Moscow.

“During the conversation, the main focus was on the state of affairs in the zone of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, with an emphasis on the situation in the Gaza Strip,” the statement said.

An exchange of views also took place regarding prospects for restoring Palestinian unity, it added.

“The Russian side expressed its readiness to continue to provide assistance to efforts aimed at consolidating the positions of leading Palestinian political forces and movements on the platform of the Palestine Liberation Organization,” the ministry said.

It also noted that Vershinin reaffirmed “the unchanging principled position in support of the creation of an independent Palestinian state, coexisting in peace and security with Israel.”

Israel's war on Gaza, which began on Oct. 8, 2023, and lasted two years, has killed more than 72,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 171,000, most of them women and children, and destroyed about 90% of Gaza's civilian infrastructure.

A US-mediated ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, 2025. Since then, at least 581 Palestinians have been killed and more than 1,553 injured in Israeli attacks, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.