Israeli media: Russia summons Israeli ambassador over Lapid statement

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Israeli newspaper website Haaretz reported that Russia summoned Sunday the Israeli occupation Ambassador to Moscow, Alexander Ben Zvi, to the Russian Foreign Ministry on Monday.

This comes after the Russian Foreign Ministry slammed the Israeli occupation's Foreign Minister Yair Lapid for his statements following the suspension of Russia from the UN Human Rights Council over the war in Ukraine.

Lapid had accused the Russian forces of committing "war crimes against a defenseless civilian population. I strongly condemn these war crimes.”

The Israeli occupation voted in favor of excluding Russia from the UN Human Rights Council and had voted to condemn the Russian military operation in Ukraine at the UN General Assembly.

"A controlled confrontation"

According to Haaretz, "Israeli officials said this isn't an indication of a deterioration in Russia-Israel relations, but rather a controlled confrontation."

The website said that an Israeli diplomatic source claimed that “the summoning of the ambassador is unsurprising. It’s one of the available modes of response in the diplomatic toolbox.”

Russian FM: Lapid's "statements evoke regret and rejection"

The Russian Foreign Ministry had considered that Lapid's "statements evoke regret and rejection."

In a statement, the ministry pointed out that "There was a poorly camouflaged attempt to take advantage of the situation in Ukraine to distract the international community’s attention from one of the oldest unsettled conflicts - the Palestinian-Israeli one."