Putin speaks about the war between Israel and Palestine

Russia's position on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is known very well. Moscow always advocated the creation of the independent state of Palestine, President Vladimir Putin said at a plenary session of the international forum Russian Energy Week.

"Russia's position has not developed just today in connection with the tragic events — it has formed over the course of decades. This position is well known both to the Israeli side and to our friends in Palestine. We have always advocated the implementation of decisions of the UN Security Council, bearing in mind the creation of the independent sovereign Palestinian state in the first place," Putin said.

The original question was about the creation of two independent states of Israel and Palestine.

"Israel, as we all know, was created as an independent state, but Palestine never emerged as an independent and sovereign state," Putin said.

More from Putin's speech on the war between Israel and Hamas:

• The Palestinian problem is in the heart of every Muslim, it is perceived as a manifestation of injustice raised to an incredible degree.
• One of the reasons for the explosion of violence in the region is the settlement policy of Israel.
• Efforts must be made to minimise civilian casualties. If men decide to fight, let them fight among themselves, leaving women and children alone.
• One must try to calm the situation; expanding the conflict will have consequences.

Palestine is a historical region in the Middle East. The territory had been under the control of the Ottoman Empire. Great Britain obtained a mandate to govern it in 1922. In 1947, the UN proposed ending the mandate and dividing Palestine into two independent states — Arab and Jewish and introducing a special international regime for Jerusalem.

The Jewish state of Israel was proclaimed in 1948. During the War of Independence, Israeli forces captured 77% of Mandatory Palestine, including most of Jerusalem. The remaining part of the territories (these are the Gaza Strip and the West Bank) came under the control of Egypt and Jordan, but in 1967, during the Six-Day War, they came under the control of Israel.

In 1974, the UN confirmed the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination, national independence, sovereignty and the return of refugees. The State of Palestine was proclaimed in 1988. To this day, Palestine remains a partially recognised state.

Several other conflicts had sparked between Israel and Palestine in the past, with Palestinian groups declaring two intifadas (uprisings against Israeli occupation) in 1987 and 2000. The West Bank of the Jordan River is controlled by the Movement for the National Liberation of Palestine (Fatah); control of the Gaza Strip passed to the radical group Hamas (Islamic Resistance Movement) in 2007.