Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif canceled his visit to Austria on Saturday over the flying of Israeli flags over state buildings, Austria Presse Agentur reports, citing a spokesperson for the Austrian Foreign Ministry.
Zarif had planned to visit Vienna for talks with Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, but cancelled the trip at the last minute in protest over the Israeli flags supporting the terror in Gaza.
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz ordered the flying of Israeli flags over the Chancellery and Foreign Ministry buildings to express Vienna’s “solidarity” with Israel, stressing that Vienna “stands by Israel’s side”.
Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s chief negotiator in the ongoing Iran nuclear deal talks, blasted the move, tweeting that it was “shocking and painful to see the flag of the occupying regime, that brutally killed dozens of innocent civilians, including many children in just a few days.
The diplomatic spat comes in the wake of the most serious security crisis in Israel in years, with weeks of protests in Jerusalem over Israeli authorities’ move to block off access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque escalating into violence.
This resulted in riots, inter-ethnic clashes, arson attacks, shootings and confrontations between security forces and Arab-Israeli protesters.
The unrest escalated after Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip began firing hundreds of rockets into Israel, with Tel Aviv responding with airstrikes and threatening a ground invasion.
The violence has led to the deaths of at least 126 civilians and 20 militants in Gaza, with 16 Palestinians killed in protests in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
Seven civilians in Israel and one Israeli soldier were also killed in the violence. According to the Red Crescent, over 1,330 Palestinians have been injured in the clashes in the occupied territories to date.
Sputnik / ABC Flash Point Middle East Apartheid News 2021.
Austria flies Israeli flags to emphasize its support for apartheid Israel.
Now all the genocidal empires show their cards held in hand?
Austrian Nazis are no better than German and Israeli. The dogs support Israeli war crimes as Israeli terrorists embark on the path of the Nazis from World War II.
Austria is a backward country. Their ambition to seem relevant is to host Russia-US delegation. It’s showbiz for them. Where’s the significance in Iran meeting with this tiny vassal?
Good question, maybe just some kind of propaganda?
That seems to be correct?