Netanyahu attends Russian National Day celebrations in Jerusalem

Prime Minister Netanyahu participates in the Russian embassy’s National Day reception in Jerusalem — the first-ever such event by a foreign country that is not in the Tel Aviv area.

Speaking 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, Netanyahu expresses hope that “we’ll celebrate many more Russia Days in Jerusalem.”

He mentions that, as a child, he read Dostoevsky and Tolstoy, and has “great respect” for Russian culture.

Russian Ambassador Anatoly Viktorov, in his speech, hails bilateral ties, which he says were “significantly upgraded” in recent years. He thanks Netanyahu for participating in the National Day celebration, saying it sends “a very positive message.”

Viktorov mentions the fact that the celebration is in Jerusalem, noting Moscow’s April 2017 recognition of western Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. However, he stresses that this recognition implied that the eastern part of the city should become the capital of a future State of Palestine.

“We stand ready to facilitate such an agreement,” he says.

— Raphael Ahren