The entire international community should pressure Israel into meaningful negotiations, Ambassador Abdel Hafiz Nofal has said
Ambassador Abdel Hafiz Nofal © RT
An international conference resulting in a limited time being given to Israelis and Palestinians to negotiate a two-state resolution of their conflict is the best hope for reducing the violence in the Middle East, Abdel Hafiz Nofal, the ambassador of the Palestinian Authority to Moscow, told RT on Tuesday.
“It’s the only way. Otherwise, the gates of hell will be opened,” he said, referring to the proposed creation of a Palestinian state, which has been endorsed by the UN.
“We are not against the Jewish [people]. We are not against the Israeli state. We believe that we must live together with a two-state solution, where we can make a difference in our life,” he added.
The region is currently undergoing a dangerous surge of violence, after the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a deadly incursion from Gaza into southern Israel earlier this month. The group largely controls the coastal enclave, while the Palestinian Authority is based in the West Bank.
The Israeli military has retaliated with intensive bombardments of Gaza and an escalation of its blockade, which has been in place since 2007. The Jewish State said it was determined to obliterate Hamas.
There are fears that Israel may launch a ground invasion of the Palestinian enclave, potentially triggering intervention by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and other players.
Nofal discussed with RT his assessment of the explosive situation, the double standards that he believes Western nations apply to the Isreali-Palestinian conflict, and possible ways to deflate it. Watch the entire interview.
