Israel has asked for clarification from Russia regarding the legal proceedings against the Jewish Agency

The Israeli ambassador to Moscow met with the Russian deputy foreign minister and asked to know the background to the investigation launched by the Russian Ministry of Justice against the agency.

The Russian deputy minister made it clear that this was not a political move against Israel.

Israeli officials fear that this is a sign of dissatisfaction with Ukraine's policy

Lightning Ravid

21/07/2022

Thursday, July 21, 2022, 7 p.m.

• Share on Facebook

• Share on WhatsApp

• Share on Twitter

• Share on Email

• Share on general

• Comments

  Comments

In the video: Prime Minister Lapid and Defense Minister Ganz on a tour of the Northern Command (Photo: GPO)

Israel turned to Russia last week and asked for clarification about the investigation launched by the Russian Ministry of Justice against the Jewish Agency and its activities among the Jewish community in the country, said three Israeli sources involved in the matter.

More on Walla!

• Ukraine warns: Russia is preparing for the next stage of the offensive

• Ukraine: Russia exacerbates offensive;

  Dozens killed in three days

• 7 risk factors for heart disease and one way to identify early and prevent heart damage

why is it important:

Israel fears that the Russian Ministry of Justice's investigation into the agency will lead to its declaration as a foreign agent and, as a result, to the cessation of its Russian activity in the field of Jewish immigration to Israel.

More on Walla!

Ali Khamenei to Putin: "You had no other alternative in Ukraine"

To the full article

Russian Foreign Ministry: "This is not a political move against Israel."

Putin (Photo: Reuters)

In the news center:

• Three weeks ago, the Russian Ministry of Justice sent a letter to the Jewish Agency's offices in Moscow warning that the organization was violating Russia's privacy laws because it maintains a database containing personal details of candidates for immigration to Israel.

• The agency then claimed that this was an ongoing control procedure that the authorities in Russia have been conducting with the agency's representatives for several years and that the issue would be settled through contacts between the parties.

Behind the Scenes:

• A senior Israeli official said that it had initially been decided that the Jewish Agency would address the issue without the involvement of the Foreign Ministry or the Prime Minister's Office.

  But after a few days it was decided to change direction and officially contact the Russian government on the issue.

• Last week, Israeli Ambassador to Russia Alex Ben-Zvi met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Michael Bogdanov at the Moscow Foreign Ministry and asked him for clarification regarding the Russian Ministry of Justice's investigation process.

  A senior Israeli official said that Ben-Zvi explained to Bogdanov the importance of the agency's activities for Israel.

• The Israeli ambassador to Moscow reported to the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem that Bogdanov noted that the Russian Foreign Ministry was not aware of the issue and stressed that this was not a political move by Russia against Israel but only a legal proceeding.

  Bogdanov told the Israeli ambassador that the issue would be investigated.

What they say:

Senior Israeli officials said they were encouraged by the Russian deputy foreign minister's remarks but in the same breath expressed concern that despite Bogdanov's denials, the Russian Ministry of Justice's proceeding with the agency is a political sanction by Russia against Israel over Moscow's dissatisfaction with Israeli policy on Ukraine.

Fear of dissatisfaction with Israeli states regarding Ukraine.

Zlansky (Photo: Reuters, EYEPRESS via Reuters Connect)

The big picture:

• In recent months, amid escalation of Russian operations in the war in Ukraine and American pressure, Israel has intensified its public criticism of Russia.

  After the massacre in Bocha, Prime Minister Lapid, who then served only as foreign minister, accused Russia of committing war crimes.

• During the first months of the war, Lapid took a sharper line toward Russia while then-Prime Minister Naftali Bennett took a more cautious line, refraining from sharply condemning Putin and even trying to mediate between Russia and Ukraine.

  Bennett claimed that his cautious stance stemmed from the desire to safeguard Israel's interests vis - à - vis Russia in Syria.

• Since Bennett ended his term and replaced Lapid in the Prime Minister's Office, there has been no telephone conversation between him and Lapid.

  Putin also did not issue a congratulatory message to Lapid about his inauguration as prime minister and did not send him a letter.

There was no phone call between him and Putin.

Yair Lapid (Photo: Official Website, Mark Israel Salem)

• Today, Yaron Avraham reported in News 12 that Russia's ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov said in closed talks that the fact that Lapid is serving as prime minister could create difficulties in relations between the two countries due to Lapid's attitude towards the war in Ukraine.

• A spokeswoman for the Russian embassy denied that Ambassador Viktorov had said the things but added criticism that Israel's policy on the war in Ukraine was unbalanced.

• "We have noticed the statements of some senior Israeli officials regarding the Russian operation in Ukraine. We hope that Israel will choose a less biased and balanced approach to this issue. If that happens, it will well reflect the good relations Russia and Israel have built over the past 30 years."

• news

• Political-political

• Foreign relations

Tags

• Russia

• the Jewish Agency

• Ukraine