Russia protests Israeli settler attack on diplomatic vehicle in West Bank

Moscow says Israeli troops did not intervene arsenic settlers attacked a Russian diplomatic conveyance and verbally threatened diplomats.

Moscow has lodged a ceremonial ailment with Israel implicit an attack by Israeli settlers on a Russian diplomatic conveyance adjacent an amerciable colony successful the occupied West Bank.

Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said successful a connection connected Tuesday that Moscow considered the onslaught a “gross usurpation of the Vienna Convention connected Diplomatic Relations of 1961”, and expressed “bewilderment and disapproval” that the onslaught “occurred with the connivance of Israeli subject personnel”.

According to Zakharova, the conveyance belonging to Russia’s practice to the Palestinian Authority (PA) and bearing diplomatic registration plates was attacked connected July 30 adjacent the “illegal Israeli colony of Giv’at Asaf”, located eastbound of Ramallah and immoderate 20km (12 miles) northbound of Jerusalem, by a radical of settlers.

“The conveyance sustained mechanical damage. The onslaught was accompanied by verbal threats directed astatine the Russian diplomats,” the spokeswoman said, adding that Israeli soldiers contiguous “did not adjacent fuss to halt the assertive actions of the attackers”.

According to reports successful Russian media, the conveyance came nether onslaught portion carrying members of Russia’s diplomatic ngo to the PA, who are besides accredited with Israel’s Foreign Ministry.

The Russian Embassy successful Tel Aviv has sent a demarche missive to Israeli authorities, Zakharova added.

Russia’s archetypal lawman imperishable typical to the United Nations, Dmitry Polyansky, raised the onslaught connected the diplomatic conveyance astatine a UN Security Council league connected Tuesday focused connected Israeli captives successful Gaza.

Polyansky said the onslaught connected Russia’s conveyance successful the occupied West Bank comes astatine a clip erstwhile “Israeli authorities person embraced the argumentation of cleansing and colonising” the Palestinian territory.

“It is mean Palestinians and adjacent foreigners who each time go victims of relentless raids by information forces and settler violence,” Russia’s UN typical said.

The “attack connected an authoritative conveyance of the Russian Mission to the Palestinian Authority” was carried retired “under the lenient oculus of the Israeli military”, helium said.

“It is wide that a systematic argumentation of exiling Palestinians – whether from the Gaza Strip oregon the West Bank – is fraught with caller risks and dangers for stableness and information successful the Middle East and could erstwhile again bring the portion to the brink of a large war,” helium added.

Violent attacks by Israeli settlers and soldiers successful the occupied West Bank person surged since October 2023, with the UN reporting that astir 650 Palestinians – including 121 children – person been killed successful the territory by Israeli forces and settlers betwixt January 1, 2024 and the commencement of July 2025.

A further 5,269 Palestinians were injured during that period, including 1,029 children. Settler attacks unsocial accounted for much than 2,200 casualties and cases of harm to property, the UN said.