Against the backdrop of the crisis between Israel and Russia surrounding the Russian threat to close the activities of the Jewish Agency in the country, the country’s president, Yitzhak Herzog, spoke today (Tuesday) with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, for the first time since the outbreak of the crisis, and discussed the issue with him. Herzog initiated the conversation at the request of Prime Minister Yair Lapid and in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“Putin is open to proposals”: approaching the decision point in the crisis between Russia and Israel
“Today I spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin. We discussed various bilateral issues between the two countries, among them, the challenges of the Jewish people in the Diaspora. Also, in the conversation I expanded on the issue of the activities of the Jewish Agency in Russia,” Herzog tweeted.
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“We emphasized the important cooperation between Israel and Russia and agreed to stay in touch in order to continue to strengthen the relations between the countries. The Russian president emphasized his personal commitment to the commemoration of the Holocaust and the fight against anti-Semitism,” he added.
In the official announcement that the Kremlin issued following the conversation between the presidents, it was written regarding the Jewish Agency: “It was agreed that the talks on the issue will continue at the level of relevant professional bodies from both sides.” Officials in Russia estimate following the conversation that the trial will not be canceled, but the legal solution will probably be found and the agency’s activities in Russia will continue. Officials in Russia said that The Kremlin is interested in completing the procedures of transferring ownership of Alexander’s yardand the issue came up more than once during the agency crisis.
As I recall, the discussion regarding the closure of the Jewish Agency in Russia took place about two weeks ago in the court in Moscow, and was defined as a “conversation”, with a substantive discussion on the issue scheduled for August 19. The members of the Israeli delegation left the court without passing the reporters covering the event. Meanwhile, the legal advisor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will meet today with a representative of the Russian Ministry of Justice to discuss the issue and try to find a solution to the crisis.
According to Russian law, the main purpose of the conversation was to go over the case materials and get to know them. During the next hearing, the agency will try to challenge the decision of the Russian Ministry of Justice to order the closure of the organization’s activities in the country, in light of its claim that it violates Russian law. If the appeal is rejected, the dissolution of the agency will begin.