Condemning Israel's Collective Punishment of Gaza Residents, Russian Foreign Minister: Blatant Violation of Humanitarian Law

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov when receiving a delegation of OIC ministers. (Source: SPA)

JAKARTA - Russia condemns Israel's collective punishment of residents of the Gaza Strip, Palestine, said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, expressing his country's support for a comprehensive peace process.

This was conveyed by Foreign Minister Lavrov when receiving a visit from a delegation of ministers from member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Moscow, Tuesday, local time.

Praising the efforts made by the OIC ministerial delegation, Foreign Minister Lavrov in his speech indicated that his country supports efforts for an immediate ceasefire, in accordance with the resolutions of the Security Council and the UN General Assembly, as well as the decisions of the peace summit in Cairo and the Joint OIC-Arab League Summit in Riyadh.

Furthermore, Foreign Minister Lavrov condemned the collective punishment of civilians in the Gaza Strip.

"This is a blatant violation of international humanitarian law, emphasizing the importance of efforts to stop all violations of international law and international humanitarian law, as well as the importance of channeling more humanitarian aid to Gaza, to avoid an unprecedented humanitarian disaster," said the Foreign Minister Lavrov, reported SPA November 22.

Furthermore, he said Russia supports the creation of conditions for launching a comprehensive peace process, in accordance with relevant UN resolutions and the 2002 Arab Initiative with the aim of a two-state solution.

On this occasion, Foreign Minister Lavrov also highlighted the lack of humanitarian assistance for Gaza, which was clearly insufficient.

"The current situation shows how bad it can be if we follow a path that ignores international law. We are already seeing the enormous humanitarian impact in the Gaza Strip. The volume of incoming humanitarian aid is clearly insufficient, and the agencies involved in humanitarian aid at the UN are already sounding the alarm. alarm," he explained, quoted from Anadolu.

Lavrov also said that regional countries must be represented in the mechanism for resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, adding that Russia shares the same assessment as the Arab League and OIC countries regarding the need for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

"Ceasing hostilities, resolving humanitarian issues, and freeing hostages" are their current priorities, he added.

It is known that this meeting was attended by Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Hissein Ibrahim Taha, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Al-Safadi.