Israel summons Belarusian ambassador over Gaza remarks

Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned Belarusian Ambassador Yuri Yarusevich to lodge a formal protest over recent statements made by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko regarding Israel’s military actions in the Gaza Strip, Ynet reports.

According to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, the move was triggered by Lukashenko’s remarks in which he allegedly drew parallels between Israel’s military operation and the Holocaust and questioned Israel’s position on the conflict.

The ministry strongly rejected such comparisons, calling them unacceptable, and reiterated that Israel views its actions as a “just war against terror.”

Earlier, Lukashenko stated that Gaza has been “wiped off the face of the earth,” criticised proposed post-war reconstruction plans for the enclave, and made additional sharp remarks that prompted the diplomatic response from Jerusalem.

By Jeyhun Aghazada