In rare move, Russian embassy to host National Day party in Jerusalem

The Russian embassy in Israel is hosting its annual National Day reception in Jerusalem, in a nod to Moscow’s recent recognition of the western part of the city as Israel’s capital.

Russia’s incoming ambassador, Anatoly Viktorov, is inviting guests to a June 14 reception at Sergei’s Courtyard, a historic complex in the Jerusalem neighborhood known as the Russian Compound, which Israeli authorities handed to Russia a decade ago in a goodwill gesture.

In April 2017, Russia in a surprise move recognized western Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. However, Moscow has made plain that it considers the eastern part of the city the capital of a future Palestinian state and vehemently opposed the US administration’s December 6 decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

— Raphael Ahren