Russia’s Foreign Ministry said today it was up to the Justice Ministry to decide whether the country’s Jewish Agency branch, which helps Jews immigrate to Israel, should be disbanded and criticized Israel’s stance on the conflict in Ukraine.
Relations between the two countries have been strained in recent months after Israel condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and summoned the Russian ambassador following comments by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
In an interview on Russian television, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Israel’s leadership had taken a biased, anti-Russian stance on the conflict and rejected suggestions that the Foreign Ministry had been involved in proceedings against the Jewish Agency.
“It’s a question for the Ministry of Justice, that’s the information I have. It’s undoubtedly a legal matter,” Zakharova said when asked about what will happen to the organization.
“Unfortunately, in recent months we have heard, at the level of statements, rhetoric from Tel Aviv that is not constructive at all and, more importantly, it is discriminatory. It is completely incomprehensible and strange to us,” Zakharova said.
The Ministry of Justice requested the judicial liquidation of the Russian branch of the Agency. Authorities allege violations of privacy laws by the agency, and are expected to present more details to a Russian court the day after tomorrow, Thursday.
The comments appear to be an attempt by Moscow to distance itself from the case, which has raised concerns in Israel about a crisis with Russia, home to a large Jewish community.
Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, who as foreign minister in March condemned Russia’s actions in Ukraine, said in a statement on Sunday that closing the agency’s branch would be “serious, with consequences for (bilateral) relations.”
But today Lapid’s office said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin had exchanged “written wishes”. The office has not yet said more about the correspondence.
Lapid has put a team of Israeli judges on standby to go to Russia and resolve the Agency issue if Moscow agrees to receive them. As of this morning, the group had not departed. Israel’s immigration minister expressed hope that their intervention would not prove critical.
“We will resolve this issue through the diplomatic channel, even if (the representatives) don’t go,” the minister, Pnina Tamano-Sata, told Ynet TV.
There are 600,000 Russians eligible to immigrate to Israel, he said, adding that there has been a surge in applications since the Russian Justice Ministry announced the agency, which is based in Jerusalem and is the world’s largest Jewish nonprofit.
Source: Capital
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
