An Israeli diplomat in Russia has been accused of being
involved in unlawful activities and has left Moscow, a
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
Diplomat Shmuel Polishuk was briefly detained by authorities
and left Russia, spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said, without
saying the offense Polishuk was accused of.
"We hope that this regrettable incident wouldn't affect the
Russian-Israeli relations," Nesterenko told a briefing.
Israeli Embassy spokesman Alex Goldman Shayman said the
reasons for Polishuk's departure were connected to "reasons
of administrative nature."
He didn't elaborate, but added that Russia and Israel are
working to solve what he called a misunderstanding.
He said Polishuk wasn't declared persona non grata, and he
dismissed Israeli media allegations that the diplomat was
expelled on espionage charges.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor also
emphasized that Polishuk wasn't expelled from Russia.
"This is an administrative matter," he said in a statement.
"It is being dealt with by both foreign ministries in good
spirits and we hope the matter will be resolved quickly."
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