The Israeli delegation to deal with the crisis of the Jewish Agency in Russia will hold a crucial meeting in Moscow tomorrow (Sunday) with representatives of the Russian Ministry of Justice, which demands that the organization's activities in the country be stopped.
The members of the delegation, most of whom are lawyers, will present to the Russians solutions formulated during the past week and which should result in the agency complying with the requirements of local law regarding the collection of information on citizens.
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, the members of the delegation are expected to present technical-legal solutions that will conform to the provisions of the dry law in Russia.
A political official who spoke to "Israel Hayom" expressed skepticism about the possibility of solving the crisis through the discussion that will be held tomorrow.
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."
According to the source, even if there is a positive surprise and a solution is reached at the meeting, it will result from an order from above that the Russian Ministry of Justice will receive, as a result of a diplomatic process that may be going on behind the scenes.
State President Herzog hinted last week that he is involved in talks to resolve the crisis, but emphasized that "the less we talk - the better."
If no resolution is reached in the coming weeks, the trial against the agency is scheduled to begin on August 19.
Will solve the crisis with Mokshaba?
Herzog hints: "The less we talk, the better."
In Israel they are 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.
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 transferring the Alexander Court complex in Jerusalem to Russian ownership - or a combination of all these factors. Another assumption holds that the Russians are "taking revenge" on Yair Lapid, who Abroad expressed relatively strong positions against Moscow and strongly condemned the massacre by Russian soldiers in the Bocha suburb north of Kiev.
Lapid directed 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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