MOSCOW, September 1 (RIA Novosti) - Moscow has urged Israel to reconsider its decision to expropriate 400 hectares of Palestinian territory in the occupied West Bank, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement Monday.
“Moscow is deeply concerned by the information about Israeli plans to annex land in the Palestinian territories. If [the plan] is carried out, such unilateral action would significantly damage prospects of the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, which, as it is known, is based on the drawing of borders for the future Palestinian state according to 1967 lines,” the statement said.
On Sunday, Israel announced that it would recognize some 400 hectares (1,000 acres) in the south of the occupied West Bank as state land.
According to media reports, the decision was made after the killing of three Israeli teenagers in the area in June.
Russia's Foreign Ministry condemned the violence against civilians, but stated that such acts of “retaliation” were not constructive and would minimize the chance of reaching a compromise.
