The meeting in Moscow on the agency crisis between the Israeli delegation and the Russian Ministry of Justice ended without results.
The Russians did not outright reject the proposals made by the Israelis, but neither did they accept them and did not return a clear answer.
In the current state of affairs, the trial against the agency, which may lead to the closure of its activities in Russia, is expected to open on August 19 - unless there is some breakthrough on the diplomatic level before then.
The fact that no breakthrough was achieved strengthens the assumption that this is an initiated political crisis, and not a legal problem as the Russians claim.
The members of the Israeli delegation, most of whom are lawyers, presented the Russians with solutions formulated during the past week and which are supposed to result in the agency complying with the requirements of the local law regarding the collection of information on citizens, but as mentioned, they did not receive a positive answer.
One of the main claims of the Russian authorities is that the agency keeps the information it collects on servers located outside the country's borders - contrary to the provisions of the law on the subject.
Israel claims that this is innocent information that consists of items such as phone numbers and email addresses of applicants for aliyah and of Jews who wish to participate in the agency's activities.
However, as mentioned, the members of the delegation presented technical-legal solutions that comply with the provisions of the dry law in Russia.
Attempt to reach a diplomatic solution
A political official who spoke to Israel Hayom expressed skepticism yesterday (Monday) about the possibility of resolving the crisis through talks between lawyers from both sides.
According to him, "The legal delegation is intended to convey two messages to the Russians: that we are 'playing the game' and respect their legal process, and that it is no longer just a matter for the agency, but that the State of Israel is involved in it. However, it is clear that what is before us is not a legal problem but an initiated political crisis , and therefore it is doubtful whether it will be possible to resolve it in litigation between the legal teams."
The Jewish Agency in Moscow,
Israel will now try to reach a diplomatic solution with the Russians.
State President Yitzhak Herzog hinted last week that he is involved in the talks, but emphasized that "the less we talk - the better."
It is believed that Prime Minister Lapid is also personally involved in the issue.
According to what is known in Israel, they are still groping in the dark when it comes to the Russian motives behind the crisis.
The agency's activities in Russia have always received a critical look from the authorities, since it was seen as encouraging brain drain from the country - a problem that has worsened since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.
Despite this, it is not clear what caused the Russians to suddenly escalate their attitude to the issue.
In Israel it is understood that the Russians are frustrated by the delay in the transfer of Alexander's court, photo: Wikipedia
The prevailing assumptions are that this is due to dissatisfaction with the Israeli position regarding the war in Ukraine, displeasure with the IDF's activities in Syria, frustration with the delay in the transfer of the Alexander Court complex in Jerusalem to Russian ownership - or a combination of all these factors. Expressed relatively strong positions against Moscow and strongly condemned the massacre committed by Russian soldiers in the Bocha suburb north of Kiev.
With the outbreak of the crisis, Lapid instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to prepare a list of strong responses in the event that Russia bans the activities of the Jewish Agency in its territory, saying that "this will have consequences for the relations between the countries."
However, in recent days there has been an attempt by Jerusalem to lower the level of the flames in front of Moscow through moderate statements, which emphasized the importance of the relationship between Israel and Russia.
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