Russia’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday that it had informed Israeli ambassador Simona Halperin of its “negative reaction” to criticisms of Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian policy in the Middle East made by the ambassador.
The Israeli envoy was summoned to the foreign ministry earlier on Tuesday, a day after Russian authorities lashed out over what they called “unacceptable comments” made by the ambassador in an interview with Russian newspaper Kommersant published on Sunday.
Halperin told the paper that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had played down the importance of the Holocaust and that Russia was too friendly with Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.
Previously warm ties between Israel and Russia have deteriorated since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
Israel launched its offensive after militants from Hamas-ruled Gaza killed 1,200 people and took 253 hostages in southern Israel on Oct. 7.
Russia, which has drawn closer to Israel’s arch-rival Iran since the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict, has restated its support for Palestinian statehood, and criticised Israeli military action in the Gaza Strip.
