Russia Urges Israel to Reconsider Expanding Control Over West Bank

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Moscow is deeply concerned and calls on Israel to reconsider its decisions, which are expected to lift the ban on non-Muslims purchasing land in the West Bank, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Tuesday.

"We call on the Israeli authorities to reconsider the planned steps aimed at changing the status quo in the West Bank in order to avoid a further dangerous escalation of the situation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone and throughout the region," Zakharova said in a statement.

Such a step would represent a blow to the prospects for normalizing the situation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone, the statement added.

"The official text of this decision has not yet been published. But it has already drawn sharp criticism from Palestinians and the Arab-Muslim world at large. The Palestinian National Authority views it as an open attempt to 'legalize settlement expansion, land confiscation, and the destruction of Palestinian property in areas under Palestinian sovereignty.' These new Israeli decisions regarding the West Bank deserve condemnation from the international community and are a cause for serious concern," the statement also read.

Source: https://sputnikglobe.com