Elena Teslova
13 May 2021•Update: 13 May 2021
MOSCOW
Russian President Vladimir Putin and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged on Thursday de-escalation in Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.
Speaking at a videoconference in Moscow, Putin and Guterres called "the first priority" to stop the violent actions on both sides and ensure the safety of the civilian population.
They also stressed the necessity of the two-state solution for the Palestinian issue, "based on the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and generally recognized international legal norms".
In a separate statement, the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia is making efforts to reduce escalation in the region, encouraging the sides to ease tensions through political and diplomatic means.
Commenting on the situation at a news conference, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Russia is in touch with all sides, and condemns attacks against the civilians.
"Russia, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a member of the Quartet for the Middle East, in cooperation with regional and international structures, continues to seek a comprehensive and sustainable settlement in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions. They envisage the creation of two states -- Palestine and Israel," she said.
Meanwhile, the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency -- Rosaviation -- recommended all the airlines to fly around Palestine and Israel while the largest Russian airline -- Aeroflot -- announced it cancels all flights to Tel-Aviv on May 14 aiming limitations, introduced in work of Ben-Gurion airport.
Tensions have been running high in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem since last week when an Israeli court ordered the eviction of Palestinian families, which was later delayed.
Palestinians protesting in solidarity with residents of Sheikh Jarrah have been targeted by Israeli forces.
The escalation resulted in airstrikes by Israel on Gaza which has left scores of people dead and hundreds of others wounded.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and annexed the entire city in 1980 – a move that has never been recognized by the international community.
