UPDATE - Venezuela condemns 'genocide,' 'extermination' of Palestinians by Israel

UPDATES WITH REMARKS BY RUSSIA FOREIGN MINISTER

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Venezuela condemns "genocide" and "extermination" of the Palestinian people being carried out by Israel, Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said on Thursday.

The only solution to the conflict lies within the creation of a Palestinian state backed by the UN Security Council, Gil told a news conference in Moscow following a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.

"We have already made a demand for an immediate cease-fire in order to move on to negotiations. We see that the extermination of the Palestinian people is being carried out by Israel. It's unbearable. And the international community will not tolerate this," he stressed.

Gil backed the agreements reached at the recent joint summit of the Arab League and Organizations of Islamic Cooperation, and urged the international community "to mobilize its forces to support the Palestinian people."

The Venezuelan official said Israel "every day violates human rights and international legislation" through bombing, attacking hospitals and other civilian infrastructure.

"There can be no questions here. This policy should be stopped immediately. It is necessary to investigate and condemn the perpetrators of war crimes, and the people of the Gaza Strip and Palestine should have the right to exercise their right to independence and gain their land," he added.

Israel has continued its air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since the Oct. 7 incursion by Hamas, killing more than 11,000 Palestinians besides damaging and destroying thousands of civilian structures. It has also imposed a total siege, resulting in the shortage of basic necessities such as food, medicines, and fuel.

- Lavrov highlights lack of attention to situation in West Bank

For his part, Lavrov criticized the UN Security Council for being unable to support the General Assembly's call for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.

"We insist on an immediate end to the bloodshed and an immediate solution to the humanitarian problems in the Gaza Strip, and now also in the West Bank," he said.

The minister highlighted lack of attention to the situation in the Palestinian territory, saying raids are being carried out there as well resulting in dozens of casualties.

Lavrov reiterated Russia's stance on transitioning to peace talks for establishing a Palestinian state once hostilities cease and humanitarian needs are addressed.

"It will be difficult to do this (to establish a Palestinian state), because if we look at a map, we'll see that very little is left of territories meant for the establishment of the Palestinian state, especially in the West Bank of the Jordan River," he said.

Israel's unilateral actions led to the creation of settlements in the West Bank, unrecognized by any country globally, but posing a problem for the establishment of the Palestinian state, he said.

Lavrov also criticized France for issuing an arrest warrant for Syrian leader Bashar Al-Assad, saying the Western judicial system "has repeatedly shown its biased stance on certain questions."

He said France, accusing Assad of some crimes, was “one of the main initiators and performers” of the 2011 aggression against Libya.

Citing Western press, Lavrov said one of the reasons longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi was eliminated could be his alleged role in financing presidential campaigns before 2011.