Russia to summon Israeli ambassador over 'unacceptable' comments – TASS

Russia's foreign ministry will summon Israeli ambassador Simona Halperin over "unacceptable comments" she made in an interview, the TASS news agency cited the ministry as saying on Monday.

Halperin, according to the ministry, misrepresented Russia's foreign policy stance in the interview with Russia's Kommersant daily, published on Sunday.

The ministry described her comments as "an extremely unsuccessful start" to her diplomatic posting, which began last December.

Halperin accused Russian FM Lavrov of downplaying the Holocaust

In the interview, Halperin criticized Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov for playing down the importance of the Holocaust, noting that Israel has monuments to the Red Army's fight against Nazism, and that important events are held in Russia by the Moscow government and the Jewish community together to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which coincides with the anniversary of the blockade of Leningrad. 

"Yes, many nations suffered heavy losses," Halperin told Kommersant, "the Russian people paid millions and millions of lives to defeat Nazism. And we remember that. But never before in history did the world know such a massive and systematic destruction of people solely on a national basis. This was experienced only by the Jewish people. I will tirelessly repeat this."

Halperin also reiterated, when prompted, Israel's support for Ukraine against Russia's invasion. "Israel has supported and will continue to support the principle of territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine," she said.

Halperin to Russia: Why don't you list Hamas as a terror org?

Asked where Israel took issue with Russia's Middle East policy, Halperin cited Moscow's reluctance to condemn Hamas's October 7 attack, saying that "some time passed before Russia publicly condemned this attack, called it a terrorist attack, and mentioned Hamas."

Halperin also noted that while the Muslim Brotherhood is listed as a terrorist organization in Russia, Hamas, which is a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, is not, nor has Moscow condemned Hezbollah or the Houthis in their anti-Israel activities in the months since October 7. "We do not hear a word of condemnation in the UN Security Council," the ambassador said. "On the contrary, it stands in solidarity with the Republic of South Africa, which filed an absurd lawsuit against Israel."

The tone of the interview was not, for the most part, hostile, however: "I’m unlikely to be able to hide from you that there are disagreements between us on a number of issues," Halperin said. "For example, Russia's position in the UN is absolutely unacceptable to Israel.

"But I really believe in an open and direct dialogue...Moreover, there are issues that are not controversial, and on them we can work together. There is, for example, a joint effort to free all the hostages remaining in the hands of Hamas."