Russia Condemns Israeli Settler Attack on Diplomatic Vehicle
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Russia sharply condemned the Zionist regime after Israeli settlers attacked a Russian diplomatic vehicle near an illegal outpost in the occupied West Bank, accusing Israeli forces of complicity through inaction.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry filed an official protest against the Tel Aviv regime after armed settlers attacked a vehicle belonging to the Russian diplomatic mission to the Palestinian Authority.
The incident took place on July 30 near the illegal Zionist outpost of Giv’at Asaf, east of Ramallah, in the heart of occupied Palestinian territory.
The vehicle, which bore diplomatic plates, sustained mechanical damage.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated the attack was a "gross violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961."
She expressed “bewilderment and disapproval” over the fact that the assault occurred “with the connivance of Israeli military personnel.”
Zakharova said Israeli soldiers at the scene “did not even bother to stop the aggressive actions of the attackers,” who also issued verbal threats to the Russian diplomats.
According to Russian media, the vehicle was transporting members of Russia’s mission accredited to both the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli foreign ministry.
Russia’s Embassy in Tel Aviv has issued a demarche to Israeli authorities.
At the United Nations Security Council, Russia’s First Deputy Permanent Representative Dmitry Polyansky denounced the attack as part of a broader Zionist agenda.
He said the incident occurred while Israeli authorities are engaged in “cleansing and colonising” Palestinian land.
“It is ordinary Palestinians and even foreigners who every day become victims of relentless raids by security forces and settler violence,” Polyansky told the council.
He stressed that the attack took place “under the lenient eye of the Israeli military.”
Polyansky warned that Israel’s systematic ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank poses escalating threats to regional stability.
He said such actions “could once again bring the region to the brink of a major war.”
Since October 2023, the occupied West Bank has witnessed a sharp surge in violent crimes by Zionist settlers and soldiers.
According to the United Nations, nearly 650 Palestinians – including 121 children – have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers between January 1, 2024, and July 2025.
More than 5,200 others were wounded during this period, including over 1,000 children.
Settler violence alone caused over 2,200 casualties and instances of property damage.
