Spotlight: Russia mulls giving push to Israeli-Palestinian settlement

Russia is reportedly considering assuming a more active role in promoting a peaceful settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as a fresh wave of violence between the pair of old foes has shaken the region since late 2015.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Moscow respectively this week, with both holding talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Earlier this year, France launched an ambitious plan to host an international conference in a bid to resume talks between Palestine and Israel, which Abbas welcomed, while Israel has not publicly expressed its attitude.

"Probably after these visits, Moscow will determine more specifically how actively it would support this proposal of France," Yelena Suponina, advisor to the Director of the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies, an expert on Middle East issues, told Xinhua.

During his talks with Putin on Monday, Abbas urged the international community to define the principles on which the Middle East settlement could be reached, and to formulate a timetable for negotiations.

Putin, in response, voiced his country's support, saying that Russia would provide support to Palestinian efforts "aimed at activating everything that is necessary for a constructive dialogue."

On Thursday, Netanyahu said that the Golan Heights would remain under Israel's control before and during talks with Putin, seeking Russia's support in Israel's claim on the region.

But a Kremlin statement issued after the talks did not specifically mention the Golan Heights issue.

On Friday, the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow's stance on the Golan Heights was unchanged in line with the United Nations Security Council resolutions, which defined it as an "occupied Syrian territory."

"It was not very appropriate for the Israeli Prime Minister to publicly raise the issue of the Golan Heights. On the other hand, perhaps this has become one of the main reasons for his visit to Moscow," said Suponina.

In her opinion, the Syrian aspect was becoming an important factor in the Israeli-Palestinian issue, as Israel feared that the peace talks between Damascus and the opposition, currently being worked out in Geneva with the help of international mediators, could not omit the Golan Heights issue.

Moscow is unlikely to support the idea of leaving the Golan Heights to the Israelis, given the U.N. Security Council resolutions that Moscow has always adhered to, said Suponina.

"This issue cannot be solved only by the desire of Israelis," Suponina added. Endi