The Kosovo Ministry of Foreign Affairs had defended Israel’s right to defend itself against rockets fired by Hamas.
Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s government condemned Hamas for “holding Palestinian civilians hostage in its war”, in a statement published on Twitter.
As every state #Israel has the right and the obligation to defend its people against 2000+ rockets fired at civilians only by Hamas, who is holding Palestinian civilians hostage in its war. We mourn all victims. We urge for refrain, stop of violence & seeking peaceful solutions.
— MFA Kosovo 🇽🇰 (@MFAKOSOVO) May 16, 2021
It follows a message of gratitude to 25 countries, including Kosovo and Albania, by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for their support of Israel in the latest escalation of deadly violence between Israel and the Palestinians.
🇺🇸🇦🇱🇦🇺🇦🇹🇧🇦🇧🇷🇧🇬🇨🇦🇨🇴🇨🇾🇨🇿🇬🇪🇩🇪🇬🇹🇭🇳🇭🇺🇮🇹🇱🇹🇲🇩🇳🇱🇲🇰🇵🇾🇸🇮🇺🇦🇺🇾
Thank you for resolutely standing with 🇮🇱 and supporting our right to self defense against terrorist attacks.— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) May 15, 2021
Hamas is designated a terrorist organization by the EU, US and several other countries.
Palestinians have reported 145 people killed since Monday, 41 of them children; Israel has reported 10 people killed, 2 of them children, according to Reuters.
Kosovo and Israel established diplomatic ties in February 2021, following Israel’s recognition of the Western Balkan country after President Donald Trump’s deal brokered between Serbia and Kosovo to normalize their economic relations.
