Two Israeli citizens have been detained in Belarus for several weeks without the State of Israel being able to rescue them.
Their arrest comes after previous cases in which the authorities in Minsk harmed Israeli citizens and even harassed them on antisemitic grounds.
But while many countries in the West warn their citizens of entering Belarus, the State of Israel does not issue any travel warnings to the "last dictatorship in Europe."
Attorney Maya Reiten-Stoll was arrested at Minsk Airport about a month and a half ago after cannabis leaves used in her suitcase were discovered for medical purposes.
According to local law, which does not recognize the Israeli permit to possess medical cannabis, the penalty for possession may be up to five years in prison.
Froman shows his passport and sabotage, Photo: Courtesy of the person photographed
Two weeks ago, Daniel (Dmitry) Plaszczynski, who holds local and Israeli citizenship, was arrested in Minsk.
What was his sin?
According to Belarusian police, a subscription to the telegram channels of the opposition - a new law invented in a dictatorship in which, according to dictator Lukashenko, "there is no place for laws."
In the past, too, Israelis have been arrested in puzzling circumstances and without any criminal suspicion.
In August 2020, when huge demonstrations were taking place in Belarus against the falsification of the presidential election, Alexander Froman and Artium Pronin were caught separately.
Against Froman, who identified himself as an Israeli, even anti-Semitic curses were hurled and the regime promised to "make another circumcision."
Both were beaten by the police and claimed abandonment by the Israeli mission.
Despite the accumulation of cases, the headquarters for the war on terror in the Prime Minister's Office does not warn Israelis going to Belarus.
The website of the National Security Council states that "this country is not subject to a travel warning." Belarus) are not allowed to cross a land border crossing between Belarus and Russia, or on domestic flights. "
And the warning?
It is generally from October 2018.
Since then, many incidents have taken place in Belarus that have led Western countries to impose sanctions on Minsk, including the hijacking of a Rainier plane en route from Athens to Lithuania to arrest a Belarusian journalist who opposes the regime.
Only recently did Minsk create an international humanitarian crisis when it flooded the border with Poland with Iraqi and Syrian refugees.
Plaszczynski's passport, Photo: No credit
Against the background of these events, Western countries are warning their citizens against arriving in Belarus.
The US Embassy in Minsk explicitly asks: "Do not travel to Belarus in the face of selective law enforcement and arrest danger." Poland, Ireland and Lithuania are urging their citizens not to come to Belarus at all. In Germany, it is recommended to avoid clothing that combines the colors of red and white, which are identified with the opposition.
In Israel, as mentioned, the authorities do not warn at all against arriving in Belarus.
The Foreign Ministry stated: "We recommend that every Israeli citizen visiting abroad respect the laws of the country he is visiting and its culture.
The ambassador in Minsk met with Maya Reytan and her lawyers, and the Israelis Abroad department at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem is in continuous contact with Maya's family in Israel.
"Israel is prevented from interfering in the legal proceedings conducted in other countries, in accordance with the rules of international law.
Hundreds of Israelis have visited and continue to visit Belarus for business, family visits and even tourism.
"The State Department finds no reason to update since in the cases in question criminal offenses were allegedly committed."
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