Russia officially rejected participation in next month’s US-sponsored Middle East peace summit in Bahrain on Tuesday, a day after Chinese ambassador to Palestine Guo Wei announced that Beijing and Moscow had struck an agreement to boycott it.
“It is obvious that this is yet another attempt by the United States to shift the priorities on the regional agenda and impose the American vision of the Israeli-Palestinian settlement,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “Persistent attempts to substitute the goal of achieving a comprehensive political settlement with a package of economic bonuses while undermining the principle of two states for two people are a matter of grave concern.”
Why it matters: The Donald Trump administration is banking on broad international support for its plan to get the Palestinians to accept territorial concessions in exchange for economic incentives. Firm opposition from major powers such as Russia and China risks undermining the legitimacy of the US effort, which is widely seen in the region as too favorable to Israel, while further entrenching the Palestinians’ resolve to dig in their heels.
Russia has opposed the Trump plan from the very beginning. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict and intra-Palestinian reconciliation have been a major part of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s portfolio this year. Starting with his tour across North Africa in January, followed by his travel to the Gulf in March and his latest trip to Egypt and Jordan, Lavrov has been sounding out regional attitudes vis-a-vis the US project. Many regional leaders — some in public, most in private — have reportedly expressed unease with an effort they feel pressured into supporting despite their concerns that it could further destabilize the region by inflaming pro-Palestinian sentiment.
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