UNITED NATIONS, May 24. /TASS/. The United States lost any semblance of neutrality and impartiality in the Middle East settlement process long ago, Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya said at a UN Security Council session on Wednesday.

"In the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the double standards of our American colleagues are evident. The United States carries on with unilateral attempts to reverse the worsening situation on the ground by replacing real political peace with something purely economic. Having blocked the Quartet on the Middle East, they stubbornly push for Arab-Israeli normalization, steering clear of any kind of fair solution to the Palestinian issue," Nebenzya said.

"The main paradox is that Washington, which claims to be the only sponsor of the Middle East settlement process, lost its neutrality and impartiality, something any honest broker must have, conclusively and long ago," he said.

"The decisions of the former [US] administration to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights have undermined the US’ commitment to key resolutions of the UN Security Council and General Assembly," the diplomat said.