MOSCOW, January 7. /TASS/. Active joint efforts of Muslim, Jewish and Christian leaders of peaceful settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict could help prevent further military escalation, but there is no such unanimity among the religious leaders at this point, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow said in an interview for TASS Director General Andrey Kondrashov.
"If we talk about some ways and means to overcome this conflict and to reconcile people in general, I believe that it is necessary to actively involve religious leaders: the respected Muslim leaders, as well as Jewish and Christian leaders. Because is some unanimity will be achieved among the leaders and the shepherds of these groups in regards to what and how should be done for preservation of peace, then this unanimity could be implemented in political concepts and will influence the prevention of further military escalation," the Patriarch said.
However, he noted that this is only wishful thinking at this point.
"As far as I understand, despite the desire of some religious leaders to get actively involved in this issue, not everything happens the way we want," the Patriarch noted.
Speaking about a way to achieve peace in the Holy Land, he acknowledged that "there is a rather strong tension between the Arab and Jewish people, first and foremost." This tensions "did not appear today, it existed in the past," he pointed out.