JERUSALEM, June 19, 2018 (WAFA) – Israeli police summoned six Palestinian figures from East Jerusalem on Tuesday to interrogate them on holding a reception in the city on Monday celebrating Russia Day, which police broke up shortly after it started.

The six were detained after police broke up the reception held in an East Jerusalem hotel but were released later that night before they were ordered to appear once again at the Russian Compound police station in West Jerusalem for interrogation.

Nabil Shaath, an advisor to President Mahmoud Abbas on international relations who was at the reception along with other Palestinian officials, religious leaders and lawmakers, told WAFA on Monday that a large number of police and security forces raided the hotel where the reception organized by the Palestinian-Russian Friendship Society in Jerusalem was held to celebrate Russia Day.

He said the reception, attended by Russian ambassador to Palestine, Haidar Aghanin, was broken up by police immediately after Aghanin has finished his keynote address on this occasion in spite of cutting off power to the hotel to prevent him from continuing with his speech.

M.K.