Russian FM laments Trump's failure to include Palestinian state in blueprint ■ Abbas in Riyadh to combat deal ■ PLO secretary general sends letter to foreign diplomats urging them not to endorse plan. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has attacked the Israeli-Palestinian peace plan that the Trump administration is working on, saying it would destroy the Palestinians' achievements to date in the Middle East. Speaking on Tuesday at a meeting in Moscow with representatives of Palestinian factions, including Fatah and Hamas, Lavrov said President Donald Trump’s so-called deal of the century, a plan that has not been formally presented yet, does not include a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. The lack of a diplomatic horizon and the stalled peace process between Israel and the Palestinians was worrying, especially in light of the position Washington is taking, the foreign minister said, adding that the internal Palestinian split between Fatah, which controls the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, and Hamas, which controls Gaza, gave the United States an excuse to promote a peace plan that does not improve upon previously signed agreements. “Ending the split will strengthen the position of Russia and the international community, supporting a diplomatic solution based on decisions of the international community,” Lavrov said. “There are countries that don’t see an end to the division and therefore conclude that without it, the two-state solution has become mission impossible.” Despite the importance that Lavrov has attributed to Palestinian unity, the Russians made it clear at the meeting that they would not take part in Palestinian reconciliation talks. Egypt would remain the sponsor of reconciliation efforts, despite the lack of progress on that score, the Russian foreign minister said. AFP.