The Jerusalem Post reported that a few Jewish organizations operating in Russia are in a similar situation to the Jewish Agency, which has received a letter from the Russian government, stating that it may be considered to be a foreign agent, which could result in their organization being forcibly closed down.
According to the report, Jewish organizations that are considered to be local, without any foreign funding or influence haven’t received similar letters and can operate freely - even though many of them are still choosing to keep a very low public profile.
The report added that the Russian government has ordered the Jewish Agency to cease all operations inside the country. The order was given in a letter received from the Russian Justice Ministry. Officials in the Jewish Agency confirmed that the letter was received and later officially responded on the matter.
The forced closure of the Jewish Agency’s offices in Russia will have a serious impact on Israel-Russia relations, the Zionist regime's Prime Minister Yair Lapid warned on Sunday.
“Relations with Russia are important to Israel,” he said, “[but] the Jewish community in Russia is large and important and comes up in every diplomatic discussion with the government in Moscow.”
Lapid’s remarks came after the Russian Justice Ministry took action against the agency, saying it was illegally gathering information about Russian citizens. The Israeli organization, which coordinates efforts for Jews around the world to move to the Occupied Lands, among other activities, has taken steps to move its Russian operations to Occupied Lands and online.
According to the report, Tel Aviv views the matter as diplomatic and not a legal matter. As such, Israel is considering numerous retaliatory steps should the Russian authorities shut down the Jewish Agency’s offices, including further delaying proceedings on the ownership of the Alexander Courtyard in occupied Quds, which Moscow believes should be its property or further acts in support of Ukraine in the war with Russia. Another possibility is to call back the Zionist regime's Ambassador to Russia Alexander Ben-Zvi for consultations.
MNA/PR