Moscow urges Israel to stop occupation of Palestine and lift blockade of Yasser Arafat

Moscow hopes that a new UN Resolution on the Israeli-Palestinian settlement will give a new impetus to the effort to put an end to the confrontation in Palestine, the Information and Press Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry disclosed on Tuesday.

The UN Security Council officially gathered on September 23rd and 24th in connection with a rapid aggravation of the situation around the Middle East. As a result of a long discussion, the Security Council adopted Resolution No. 1435, which binds both the Israelis and Palestinians to put an end to all acts of violence and terror that claim human lives every day.

Members of the Security Council have voiced their concern over the continuing Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and over a serious aggravation of the humanitarian situation in the region. The resolution also demands that Israel withdraw its troops from Palestinian towns as soon as possible and stop a military operation in Ramallah, the location of Yasser Arafat's residence.

Simultaneously, the UN Security Council urged the leadership of the Palestinian National Authority to punish all those responsible for recent terror attacks.

The Russian Foreign Ministry finds it extremely significant that the UN Security Council has confirmed its all-embracing support of efforts of the four mediators in the Mideastern settlement (Russia, the USA UN and the European Union) targeted at establishing a reliable peace in the Middle East.

"The Russian Federation voted for the resolution thanks to its balanced nature," the Russian Foreign Ministry reported.