Kremlin says Russia may contribute to easing tensions between Israel, Palestine

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) – Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that Russia may contribute to easing tensions between Israel and Palestine.

"We have to maintain an equal distance, only this will give us the right to participate in the settlement process in the future, and Russia can and will play a role in the settlement process," Peskov said at a news conference in Moscow.

Peskov noted that Russian citizens are present on both sides of the conflict, and for Moscow, their safety is the "number one priority."

The spokesman confirmed that a visit by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to Russia is being planned, but that no specific dates have been set.

In a dramatic escalation of Mideast tensions, Israeli forces have launched a sustained and forceful military campaign against the Gaza Strip, a response to a military offensive by the Palestinian group Hamas in Israeli territories.

The conflict began when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel, a multi-pronged surprise attack including a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel via land, sea, and air, which Hamas said was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and Israeli settlers’ growing violence against Palestinians.

In response to Hamas' actions, the Israeli military launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets within the Gaza Strip.

Israel's response has extended into cutting water and electricity supplies to Gaza, further worsening the living conditions in an area that has reeled under a crippling siege since 2007.

- Russian peacekeeping mission in Karabakh

Peskov said Russia will discuss issues related to its peacekeeping contingent in Karabakh with the Azerbaijani authorities.

"Now, indeed, they (Russian peacekeepers) are de facto and de jure on the territory of Azerbaijan, this is recognized by Prime Minister of Armenia (Nikol) Pashinyan. As for the further regime of their stay and all related modalities, of course, this will be discussed with the Azerbaijani side," he said.

The spokesman noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin did not discuss with Pashinyan the possibility of redeploying the Russian peacekeeping contingent to Armenia during the phone talk on Sept. 20.

On Oct. 10, Pashinyan said that if the Russian peacekeeping contingent leaves Nagorno-Karabakh, it should return to Russia.

- Leak on Finnish-Estonian gas pipeline

Peskov called "rather disturbing news" reports about a leak on the Finnish-Estonian gas pipeline detected by the operator of the Finnish company Gesgrid.

"We know that dangerous precedents for carrying out terrorist attacks against critical infrastructure facilities in the Baltic have already been created, I mean the well-known attacks against the Nord Stream pipelines. Therefore, of course, we will expect more detailed information," he said.

The Finnish authorities said the damage discovered on Oct. 9 was probably caused by external influences. An investigation is underway.