The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow today (Monday) summoned Simona Halperin, Israel’s ambassador to Russia, for a conversation – following an interview she gave to the local media yesterday. The conversation will be held at 15:00 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow with Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, Putin’s envoy to the Middle East. The statement of the Russian Foreign Ministry states that she was summoned following “unacceptable statements”.
Halperin, who assumed her position and submitted the charter only about two weeks ago, said yesterday in an interview with the “Kommersant” newspaper that “Russia, which suffered from terrorist attacks, does not support Israel’s fight against terrorism.” The title of the interview did not indicate the content, and was “The ambassador believes in open and direct dialogue”. The subtitle reads that “Israel’s new ambassador to Russia believes that relations between the countries must remain friendly.”
During the interview, Halperin shared about her deep family connection to Russia, and Israel’s recognition of Russia’s important part in the victory over the Nazis in World War II and the important connection between Jerusalem and Moscow. Later, she dealt with the memory of the Holocaust in today’s Russia, and expressed disappointment that Holocaust Day is not an official date in the Russian calendar. “I really don’t understand why Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov downplays the importance of this monstrous event,” she said, referring to his Holocaust denial statements.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi Photo: Reuters
The ambassador said that Israel-Russia relations are in “difficult times”, due to “the gap between their positions regarding the war in Gaza and the conflict in Ukraine”. She made it clear that Israel should not enter Moscow’s list of “unfriendly countries”. “Israel’s position regarding Ukraine has remained unchanged since the beginning of the war, Israel will continue to support the principle of territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine.”
Halperin also did not spare anything regarding Russia’s position in the war against Hamas and the October 7 massacre, especially against the background of the fact that the Russian Foreign Ministry hosted Hamas delegations twice. “You have a list of terrorist organizations banned in Russia, it also includes the Muslim Brotherhood. But Hamas is the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, why is it not on that list? Hamas openly states that it is not last October 7, they do not hide it, why not Russia Are you talking about trying to repeat October 7? But no, Hamas members are welcomed in Moscow with hugs and carpets are laid out for them. We cannot understand that.”
A Hamas delegation led by Musa Abu Marzouk is visiting Moscow
The Israeli ambassador also said that Israel is concerned about Iran’s part in inciting terrorism in the entire region. “We do not hear a word of condemnation from Russia in the UN Security Council. On the contrary, Russia stands in solidarity with the Republic of South Africa, which filed an absurd lawsuit against Israel at the International Court of Justice, accusing it of genocide.” Halperin concluded her words, saying: “Russia’s position worries and depresses me, because because of it your country is losing sympathy Israelis, including Russian speakers.”
Daniel Rakov, an expert on Russia and a senior research fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS), estimates that this is not a real crisis in relations between the countries, and claims that this “reflects the nature of relations as they have been in recent months.” Arkady Mil-Man, former Israeli ambassador to Russia, wrote in X: “The Russians invite our ambassador to a reprimand conversation. She criticized the Russians’ behavior towards Israel and was right in every word. She was to the point and could add more items to Russia’s list of nastiness. I really hope that she will continue to stand up for our interests and make life difficult for them. It is important that the Israeli Foreign Ministry summons the Russian ambassador to explain to him that we will not give up and that we are not afraid.”
The Russians summon our ambassador to Moscow for a reprimand following the interview she gave to the Russian newspaper Kommersant. She criticized the behavior of the Russians towards Israel and was right in every word. She was matter-of-fact and could add more items to Russia’s list of nastiness. I hope very much that she will continue to stand up for our interests and give them life…
— Arkady Mil-Man (@ArkadyMan) February 5, 2024
Inside, the Iranian news agency Tasnim reported this morning that the navies of Iran, Russia and China are expected to soon begin a joint military-naval exercise. Since the beginning of the war, there has been an escalation in the political relations between Russia and Moscow, against the background of clear anti-Israel statements by the Russians. According to a report in Bloomberg, security coordination between the countries has also shrunk, and Israel has stopped informing Russia about attacks in Syria, where the Russian military is active.
Israel is very concerned about the growing security cooperation between Moscow and Tehran, after Iran provided Russia with thousands of attack drones for the war in Ukraine, and apparently also provides other types of weapons and weapons. At the same time, Russia is supposed to provide Iran with advanced SU-35 fighter jets, and continues to support in various security fields, such as for example in the field of military satellites.
Last week there was another deterioration in relations between Israel and Russia – after Foreign Minister Israel Katz met with members of the band BI-2, which was arrested in Thailand and faced the risk of deportation to Russia. The minister’s meeting with them, after non-Israeli citizens were also released to Israel, could have been interpreted as a defiance against Moscow.
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