MOSCOW, April 21. /TASS/. The United States and the West are capitalizing on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Syrian President Bashar Assad said.

"When we say ‘America,’ we mean the entire West because it is totally controlled by the United States. America preys on any conflict and then steps aside to watch the growing havoc, waiting for a moment to deal a knockout blow," he said in an interview with Russia’s TV Channel One when asked to comment on the US role in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

"They capitalize on any conflict," he stressed.

According to the Syrian president, the US policy rests on the divide-and-conquer principle. "This is their method of control, a kind of blackmail," he noted. "Such behavior is immoral. America turns any conflict into a dangerous chronic illness, some sort of diabetes or cancer. While the warring parties face the consequences.".