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US has no real leverage on Israel, says Russia's UN ambassador

"Washington's so-called diplomatic efforts on the ground that our American colleagues keep repeating like some mantra, have led nowhere so far," Vasily Nebenzya said

UNITED NATIONS, February 22. /TASS/. The United States has no real levers of pressure on the Israeli authorities, Washington's diplomatic efforts towards the settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict are all for naught, Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said.

"Washington's so-called diplomatic efforts on the ground that our American colleagues keep repeating like some mantra, have led nowhere so far. It is obvious that Washington simply has no levers of real influence on the government of Israel," the UN ambassador said.

"The authorities in West Jerusalem are declaring in no uncertain terms that that mopping up of the enclave will take several more months, making calls for continuing the military operation, the withdrawal of the UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East - TASS) from the enclave and the forced displacement of Palestinians from the places of their permanent residence," Nebenzya told a meeting of the UN Security Council.