MOSCOW. Sept 12 (Interfax) - Moscow is concerned about the Israeli leadership's plans to extend Israeli sovereignty to the Jordan Valley, as this could lead to the escalation of tension in the region, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
"Moscow has taken note of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statement on the intention to extend Israel's sovereignty to the Jordan Valley, which has prompted a harshly negative response in the Arab world. We share concerns about these plans by the Israeli leadership, as their implementation might spur a dramatic escalation of tension in the region and disrupt the hopes for establishing long-awaited peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors," the ministry said in a statement posted on its website.
Moscow confirmed its "consistent and unchanging position on the need of a comprehensive political settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict based on the concept of the establishment of two states for the two nations within the 1967 borders," the ministry said.
"The only reliable way to settle all existing disagreements lies through direct negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians based on the well-known international legal foundation, including the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, the Madrid Principles, and the Arab Peace Initiative," it said.
Netanyahu said on September 10 that, if he won the upcoming elections, he would extend Israel's sovereignty to the Jordan Valley and annex the areas occupied by Jewish settlements on the West Bank; in saying so, Netanyahu vowed to coordinate his plans with U.S. President Donald Trump.