While no Israeli-Palestinian settlement is possible without the U.S., nor can Washington forge a solution on its own, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday.
Speaking at a news conference after meeting with his Palestinian counterpart Riyad al-Maliki, Lavrov confirmed Moscow's readiness to host a meeting between the Fatah and Hamas Palestinian factions, as well as a meeting of Israeli and Palestinian leaders.
He said Palestinian disunity is hindering the start of direct talks with Israel and urged all Palestinians to reconcile and give Ramallah the authority to negotiate.
For his part, al-Maliki accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of "pretending" to be ready for a meeting with Palestinian leaders without preconditions, saying: "When it comes to the deal, Netanyahu somehow avoids it."
