Russia calls on Israel to release PA speaker

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Russia on Wednesday called on Israel to release the Palestinian parliament speaker, who was detained over the weekend as part of a round-up of several senior members of the Hamas government. The Russian Foreign Ministry questioned the legality of Abdel Aziz Duaik's detention and warned in a statement that such actions "will not help to calm the situation in the Palestinian territories." The ministry said it expected that "in the nearest future, the Palestinian officials will be released." The IDF said Tuesday that Duaik, a senior Hamas official, was transferred from the Ofer military prison camp near the West Bank town of Ramallah to a Jerusalem hospital after complaining of chest pains.