Russia Protests Israel Over Alleged Attacks On Its Diplomatic Vehicles

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Maria Zakharova. (Twitter/@mfa_russia)

Russia filed an official protest against Israel following an alleged attack on a Moscow diplomatic vehicle near the Givat Assaf settlement, near Jerusalem, according to a statement issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry.

"On July 30, a Russian Federation mission vehicle for the Palestinian National Authority, which has diplomatic number plates and carries Russian diplomatic mission personnel accredited by Israel's Foreign Ministry, was attacked near Israeli illegal settlement Givat Assaf, near Jerusalem, by a group of settlers," a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said in a statement.

The incident occurred "with the consent of Israeli military personnel, who were present at the scene and did not try to stop the aggressive actions of the attackers," he added.

Zakharova said the Russian Embassy in Tel Aviv had submitted an official statement to Israeli authorities.

"We consider this incident a serious violation of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which among other things requires the host country to ensure respect for the principle of ownership rights of foreign missions that cannot be contested," Zakharova said, quoted by TASS.

"Russia Embassy in Tel Aviv has submitted a related report to the Israeli authorities. We hope the Israeli side will draw the right conclusion," he said.