MOSCOW, February 13. /TASS/. Middle Eastern countries should make demands on Israel to immediately settle the latest escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Mohammad Reza Deshiri, Dean of the University of International Relations at the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said at a session of the 13th Middle East Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club and the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

"In light of the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip and the bombings that are happening now, I think that it is necessary to put forward an ultimatum with regard to Israel. We should demand that US aid and support to the Israeli regime be stopped. If the international community can convince the US to stop military aid to Israel, it will be a big help," he said.

"We can set forth an ultimatum, an agreement on associating with Israel. This means that Europe should also refrain from helping Israel and even put pressure on it," Deshiri added. "We should suspend the Abraham Accords permanently. Israel, as we know, tried to normalize relations (with Arab countries - TASS) in order to continue its aggression against Palestine," he explained.

Additionally, the expert noted that in order to settle the situation, the countries in the region "must give priority to diplomatic channels of settlement rather than military methods."

"The military methods of settlement give rise to instability and a lack of security in the region, so the decision can provide each Palestinian with the right to vote, [it is necessary] to hold elections where both Jews, and Christians, and Muslims can vote, and this way we can speak of the right to self-determination within the framework of one state and this can bring us peace," he added. "The two-state solution, in my opinion, is absolutely unrealistic anytime soon," the expert noted.

Continuing on the topic of resolving the Middle East crisis, the expert pointed to the necessity to facilitate cooperation between countries in the region. "Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey can set forth some kind of a regional initiative or create a permanent venue to ensure regional security, thus paving the way for a comprehensive settlement and the establishment of peace in the Middle East," Deshiri concluded.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, when militants from the Gaza-based Palestinian radical group Hamas staged a surprise incursion into Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip. Hamas described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. In response, Israel has declared a state of war readiness; announced a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians; and began delivering air strikes on the enclave and certain parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are underway in the West Bank as well.