Israel is furious with Russia over Moscow’s reception of Hamas delegation and decides to summon Moscow’s ambassador in Tel Aviv
On Sunday, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Russian ambassador to Tel Aviv, Anatoly Viktorov, to protest the visit of the Hamas delegation to Moscow on Thursday.
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement, “The Russian ambassador to Israel, Anatoly Viktorov, was summoned on Sunday morning, protesting the visit of Hamas delegation to Moscow”.
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement added, “The Deputy Director of the Eurasia Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Simona Halperin, explained to the Russian ambassador that Israel views with seriousness the lack of a clear and frank condemnation by Moscow of the Hamas organization”.
The statement indicated that Halperin expressed her dissatisfaction with Russia’s behavior in international organizations.
The statement continued, “Hosting the leaders of Hamas, who are directly responsible for the attack that occurred on October 7, the kidnapping of hostages and the shedding of the blood of more than 1,400 Israelis at their hands, conveys a message of legitimacy for terrorism against Israelis”.
On Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed the arrival of a Hamas delegation to Moscow.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated that the schedule of the Hamas delegation’s visit to Moscow doesn’t include any contacts with the Kremlin, but the delegation met with officials from the Russian Foreign Ministry and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri.
On October 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a speech during the Russian Energy Week forum that Israel had seized some of the original Palestinian lands using military force.
