Russia condemns Israeli strike on Qatar as ‘gross violation’ of UN charter

Audio By Carbonatix

Enlarge

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia on Wednesday condemned an Israeli attack against Hamas members in Qatar’s capital Doha and urged all parties to refrain from actions that would further escalate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“Russia considers this incident a gross violation of international law and the UN Charter, an encroachment on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of an independent state, and a step leading to further escalation and destabilisation of the situation in the Middle East,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“Such methods of fighting those whom Israel considers its enemies and opponents deserve the strongest condemnation.”

U.S. President Donald Trump said he was “very unhappy about every aspect” of the Israeli strike and would be giving a full statement on the issue on Wednesday.

“The rocket attack on Qatar … cannot be perceived as anything other than an action aimed at undermining international efforts to find peaceful solutions,” Russia said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in a later telephone call with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, described the attack as “a violation of international law and an unacceptable encroachment on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of friendly Qatar”.

A Russian Foreign Ministry statement quoted Lavrov as saying there was a danger the Israeli action could “lead to further destabilisation in the Middle East”.

The statement said the Qatari prime minister noted Russia’s “clear and principled position” in support of Qatar’s sovereignty and independence.

(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Lucy Papachristou; editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Ron Popeski)