“Prime Minister Rama is a great friend of the Jewish people, a great friend of the Jewish state, and may I say also a great personal friend,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Monday, hailing his Albanian counterpart in Jeruselam.

Edi Rama received a standing ovation in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, for a speech in which he condemned Hamas as an oppressive force and recalled Albanians’ determination to protect its Jews during World War II.

But reactions to his Israeli visit back home were less enthusiastic. Some critics accused Rama of belittling the suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza by failing to criticise the violence inflicted by Israeli forces.

Subscribe to Balkan Insight Premium to read the full article.

Please login to your account below if you are already a Premium Subscriber.

Buy Premium Subscription

Our Premium Service gives you full access to all content published on BalkanInsight.com, including analyses, investigations, comments, interviews and more. Choose your subscription today and get unparalleled in-depth coverage of the Southern and Eastern Europe.

Buy Premium Subscription

If you have trouble logging in or any other questions regarding you account, please contact us