Russia requests closure of Jewish Agency for Israel – Israel News – The Jerusalem Post
The crackdown on the Jewish Agency came as Yair Lapid, who has been vocally critical of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, became prime minister.
The Russian Justice Ministry has requested the liquidation of the Jewish Agency for Israel, RIA Novosti News Agency reported on Thursday afternoon. Senior sources in the Jewish Agency told The Jerusalem Post that nothing has changed since the last report on the Russian request to close down the organization’s offices in Moscow — since the appeal that the agency has made to the court.
The Post has learned that there will be a court discussion on the case next week. Till then, the agency is trying to fight its case.
“The information you have is inaccurate,” said Jewish Agency spokeswoman Hagit Halali. “A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for next Thursday on the matter and this is the continuation of the legal proceedings. As we have said so far, we will not respond during the legal process.”
“The decision of the Justice Ministry to close the Agency hasn’t changed. The Agency went on appeal to extend the time it has in order to save its operations in Russia,” said a source close to the Agency.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov speaks with journalists before a meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin with then Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia February 27, 2019 (credit: REUTERS/MAXIM SHEMETOV)Yet the source who is familiar with the issue said that “the issue isn’t legal but rather political and the decision will change only if the Israeli political and diplomatic leadership get their act together.”
Diplomatic sources spoke to the Post in confidentiality and said that there are two serious problems with the way the Jewish Agency managed this crisis, “This is scandalous conduct by the agency; they haven’t updated the Foreign Ministry on this crisis even though they’ve been integrated for the past few years. All diplomatic officials heard about the issue with Russia’s Justice Ministry from the Post instead of receiving updates from the agency.”
The source added that “Why wouldn’t the agency update the relevant government offices about the raids? If they would hold meetings on the matter, before the Russian-Ukrainian war, there may have been something to do.”
Other officials in the national institutions said today that “Prime Minister Yair Lapid hasn’t taken this crisis seriously; he hasn’t held any meetings about this sensitive issue that may cause the end of aliyah from Russia.”
Yet the Post has learned that Lapid actually held a few internal meetings and consultations on the matter of the agency in Russia – contrary to the criticism.
Diaspora Affairs Minister Dr. Nachman Shai expressed outrage at the move by the Russian Justice Ministry. “Russian Jews will not be held hostage by the war in Ukraine. The attempt to punish the Jewish Agency for Israel’s position on the war is pathetic and insulting. The Jews of Russia will not be able to be detached from the historical and emotional connection to the State of Israel.”
“The immigration of Jews to Israel is a basic right that every Jew in the world has,” commented Aliyah and Integration Minister Pnina Tamano-Shata.
“The Jewish Agency’s activities take place all over Europe and in the rest of the continents, as well as in Russia, in full coordination with local authorities. Israeli Diplomats have made efforts to clarify the issue and regulate the activities in coordination,” she added.
“As the person responsible for the immigration of Jews and their absorption in Israel, I recently addressed Prime Minister Yair Lapid several times to hold a discussion at the political level and I am in constant contact with Foreign Ministry Director General Alon Ushpiz. As we have known to work in cooperation with the Russian authorities for many decades, I have no doubt that they will find the appropriate solutions.”
Earlier in the day, Israel’s ambassador to Russia asked Moscow for clarifications after the Russian Justice Ministry took action against the Jewish Agency, an Israeli official confirmed on Thursday.
The Russian Justice Ministry sent a letter to the Jewish Agency earlier this month, obtained exclusively by The Jerusalem Post, with a list of alleged violations of the law and their consequences. A senior Israeli diplomatic source said that Russia accused the Jewish Agency of illegally collecting information about Russian citizens.
In addition, in recent weeks, Russia expanded its definition of a foreign agent to include anyone who receives support from abroad and engages in actions that the authorities determine is against Russia’s national interest. That categorization could apply to the Jewish Agency or other Jewish organizations operating in Russia.
The Russian authorities’ actions could hinder the ability of Russian Jews to move to Israel.
Ambassador Alexander Ben-Zvi met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov last week to ask about the steps taken against the Jewish Agency.
Bogdanov said that the actions were not meant to be diplomatic moves against Israel and he will check the matter.
The meeting was first reported by Walla News.
The crackdown on the Jewish Agency came as Yair Lapid, who has been vocally critical of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, became prime minister.
Russian Ambassador Anatoly Viktorov has expressed concern that Lapid will make Russia-Israel relations more difficult, Channel 12 reported. The Russian embassy denied the report but said that Israeli officials should be “less biased and more balanced.”
Israel’s policy on Ukraine has not changed under Lapid. Jerusalem has not sent any military aid to Kyiv, only humanitarian aid, out of a concern of jeopardizing the deconfliction mechanism with Russia that allows Israel to strike Iranian targets in Syria.
Zvika Klein and Reuters contributed to this report.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-712718
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