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Palestinian ambassador says he plans to have meeting about Jenin at Russian MFA on July 5

Abdel Hafiz Nofal also described the response of the international community to the Israeli forces operation in Jenin as insufficient

MOSCOW, July 4. /TASS/. Abdel Hafiz Nofal, the Palestinian ambassador to Russia, has told TASS that he plans to meet with Russian diplomats at the Foreign Ministry in Moscow on Wednesday to discuss the situation around the West Bank city of Jenin.

"Of course," Nofal said, when asked if there were any relevant contacts with Russia right now. "Tomorrow I have a meeting at the Russian Foreign Ministry. The Palestinian delegation is also coming here. We are in daily contact with our Russian friends. We provide all the information. We try to explain what is happening on the ground."

The ambassador also described the response of the international community to the Israeli forces operation in Jenin as insufficient.

"The Europeans and the Americans will say that both the Palestinians and the Israelis need to stop. But this is a unilateral attack by Israel. Unfortunately, we still see double standards on the international stage on this issue," said the diplomat.

Israeli forces started a sweeping operation in Jenin and an adjacent Palestinian refugee camp overnight into Monday. During the raid, the military discovered and seized an improvised rocket launcher and carried out repeated airstrikes against terrorist targets and gunmen, the Israeli Defense Forces said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday night that the extensive operation by Israeli security forces to counter terrorism in Jenin will last as long as it takes to restore calm and security to Israeli citizens.

According to the Israeli Kan Radio station, the operation aims to "restore Israel's deterrence" against radicals in the north of the West Bank.

The last time the Israel Defense Forces conducted a sweeping operation in Jenin was on June 19. Then, the purpose of the raid was to detain wanted persons. Since April 10, 2022, Israeli forces have conducted counterterrorism operations and raids in the West Bank. They followed a series of terrorist attacks in Israeli cities.