“We wholeheartedly support President Putin's proposal to expand the Quartet, as this would strengthen its role in seeking a full and comprehensive peace in the region by ending the Israeli occupation of the lands of the State of Palestine and declaring the independence of this state,” al-Habash said on the platform of the XVI BRICS summit in Kazan.
Earlier, Putin proposed to restore and expand the work of the Middle East Quartet to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The quartet, active in the past but inactive now, includes the EU, Russia, the US and the UN.
Israel Preventing Abbas From Visiting Gaza Strip
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is determined to visit the Gaza Strip, but he is being prevented by Israel and the ongoing hostilities there, Abbas' aide added.
"The president remains determined to take this step, despite the associated risks, but this step is being prevented by Israel, which is waging a barbaric war on every inch of the Gaza Strip," al-Habbash said.
Earlier, Abbas' aide on international relations, Riyad al-Maliki, told Sputnik that Israel had refused Abbas permission to visit the Gaza Strip, where a large-scale military operation against the ruling Islamist movement Hamas had been underway for over a year, with numerous civilian casualties.
Quartet Expansion to End US Monopoly in Middle East Settlement
The expansion of the Middle East Quartet will undermine US claims to a monopoly role as a mediator in the settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Mahmoud al-Habbash said.
"The United States wants exclusivity in sponsoring the political process in the Middle East. This exclusivity is in fact a guarantee of failure due to America's blind bias toward Israel and America's ongoing hostility to the Palestinian cause and the rights of the Palestinian people," al-Habash said at the 16th BRICS summit in Kazan.
"It is necessary to restore balance in the political process by reducing American exceptionalism and allowing other countries to join in," he added.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed restoring and expanding the Middle East Quartet to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The Quartet includes the EU, Russia, the US and the UN.