Russian diplomatic chief Sergei Lavrov. (Credit: Maxim Shipenkov/AFP)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov believes that "Israel cannot eliminate either Hamas or Hezbollah" and should seek alternatives for a peaceful solution to the Gaza war.
"Israel is intensifying the use of force against those it considers radical in terms of extremism, such as Hezbollah and Hamas, which Israel has vowed to eliminate," Lavrov said in an interview with Russia Today. In his view, "this cannot be achieved because Hamas is part of the Palestinian people, just as Hezbollah is part of the Lebanese people."
"In our communications with our Israeli colleagues, we always try to make it clear that it is pointless to solve problems by force without proposing other solutions," he added. Israel cannot eliminate either Hamas or Hezbollah," he said.
Russia has repeatedly expressed its rejection of any further escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and of any extension of the fighting to other countries in the region, notably Lebanon.
This article was originally published in French on L'Orient-Le Jour.
