Lavrov warns external players against using differences in Palestine in their interests

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned external players against using differences among the Palestinian movements in their own geopolitical purposes.

"We value the efforts taken by our Egyptian colleagues to help restore Palestinian unity, but we see how deep the gap between Fatah and Hamas is. We hope very much that external players who influence the Palestinian side this or that way will be guided by the interests of the Palestinians and will refrain from using the differences between Ramallah and Gaza in their own geopolitical interests in this sensitive region," he said on Friday.

According to the Russian foreign minister, it is necessary to encourage the Palestinians to restore their unity. "The deepening gaps between Ramallah and Gaza only push back efforts towards a Palestinian state under the two-state formula when Palestine and Israel will be able to live side by side in security as good neighbors," Lavrov stressed.