MOSCOW, October 23. /TASS/. A high-ranking Russian Foreign Ministry official has called on Middle Eastern countries to consolidate for the purpose of counteracting false information, which is hampering peace efforts amid the sharp escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

"As for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, we see that the information space is overflowing with tough-talking prognoses. We think that it would be correct for Middle Eastern states to move toward each other in order to prevent and stop the dissemination of false information," Artur Lyukmanov, director of the Foreign Ministry’s International Information Security Department and Russian Presidential Envoy for International Cybersecurity Cooperation, said on Monday.

According to the Russian diplomat, fake information is used to radicalize society. "Such information is harmful not only in terms of information security but also in terms of general peace efforts," he noted.

"The efforts we are making in our communication with countries, including within the United Nations, are geared toward ensuring direct contact between relevant services to fight against the dissemination of extremist information," he added.