MOSCOW. Oct 17 (Interfax) - The Russian Foreign Ministry believes Israel's settlement activities on the occupied Palestinian territories may have a negative impact on the efforts taken by the international community to re-launch the negotiations between Palestine and Israel.
"We are calling on the Israeli government to stop its settlement activities on the occupied territories, refraining from any steps predetermining the status of Jerusalem and the borders of the future Palestinian state, which are to be determined through negotiation between the parties," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a release posted on its official website on Monday.
"We are especially concerned about the fact that such steps may have an extremely negative influence on the efforts taken by the international community, including through the international Quartet, on the re-launch of the negotiations between Israel and Palestine in accordance with the outcome of the meeting of the Quartet in New York on September 23, 2011," the ministry said.
"The realization by the Israeli authorities of the plans to build settlements on the occupied territories and the intention to legalize numerous settlement outposts on the occupied Palestinian territory fully contradicts Israel's obligations under the roadmap," the ministry said.
The ministry has reported, citing media reports, that the Israeli government plans to launch a new settlement project, which includes 2,610 housing units at the first stage with subsequent expansion to 4,200 units in the southern part of Eastern Jerusalem near the Jewish settlement Givaat Hamatos.
In the meantime, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman earlier said in an interview with Interfax that Israel has no intention of stopping settlement activities in Eastern Jerusalem and on the Western bank of the Jordan.