Conflict between Russia and Israel – «Russian Jews should not become hostages in the Ukraine war»

Peter Munch from Tel Aviv

Published: 07/26/2022, 13:39—

Israel and Russia are heading towards a diplomatic conflict. The reason for this is efforts by the Russian government to close the offices of the Jewish Agency in the country. This would be a targeted strike against the emigration of Russian Jews to Israel, which has increased significantly since the beginning of the Ukraine war. Israel’s government is in a state of alarm. She also sees it as a punitive action by Moscow against the increasing criticism of Russia’s conduct of the war.

The dispute has been smoldering for at least a few months. The background is the Russian legislation against so-called foreign agents: This is how the Moscow government classifies organizations that receive money from abroad or that are allegedly under foreign influence. Again and again, government critics and, more recently, foreign media, are targeted.

Organization for Jewish immigration to Israel

The Jewish Agency, founded in 1929, has been active in Russia for around 30 years and, on behalf of the Israeli government, organizes worldwide Jewish immigration to Israel, known as Aliyah. The Russian authorities are now accusing the Jewish Agency of collecting data on Russian citizens as a violation of the law.

For a long time, the Israeli side tried to keep the conflict under wraps as much as possible. At the end of last week, however, Russia’s government then went from words and warnings to action: the Ministry of Justice filed a lawsuit against the Jewish Agency in the Moscow District Court with the aim of banning its activities in Russia. A hearing is scheduled for Thursday.

In Israel, this triggered frantic activity at the highest level. Prime Minister Yair Lapid announced that a commission of experts would be sent to Moscow with the task of “doing everything possible” to avert the worst in negotiations with the Russian side. However, the delegation could not start on Monday night as planned because a Russian entry permit was missing.

A Kremlin spokesman denied that Moscow wanted to prevent even more “smart people” from migrating to Israel.

Twice in the past few days, Lapid has also convened high-level crisis meetings. A ban on the Jewish Agency in Russia, he later explained, was a “serious event affecting relations.”

Meanwhile, people in Israel are looking for a motive for Moscow’s actions. A Kremlin spokesman has already denied that Moscow wants to prevent even more “smart minds” from migrating to Israel. However, the so-called brain drain is considerable: after the collapse of the Soviet Union, around a million mostly well-educated Jews immigrated to Israel in the 1990s and contributed, among other things, to the upswing of the high-tech sector there.

In view of the Ukraine war, the number of Russian immigrants has risen sharply again: 17,000 new immigrants have been counted since the beginning of the year. That is twice as many as in the entire previous year. And there are 40 percent more Jewish immigrants from Russia than from Ukraine. Around 150,000 Jews still live in Russia, but thanks to Jewish ancestors, up to 600,000 Russians have the opportunity to obtain an Israeli passport. (Also read the article on the subject “Chief Rabbi with Swiss roots leaves Moscow”.)

Premier Lapid criticizes Russia’s war

Above all, political reasons are suspected behind the Russian action – it looks like a message to Prime Minister Lapid. Unlike his predecessor Naftali Bennett, who did not want to alienate President Vladimir Putin, Lapid has clearly sided with the West in condemning the war, most recently during US President Joe Biden’s visit to Jerusalem last week.

The pressure on the Jewish Agency is therefore only perceived as a first step, which could be followed by further Russian measures. Israel also fears for its extensive freedom of action in Syria, where Iranian positions are regularly bombed.

In a diplomatic exchange of blows, Israel is already threatening not to accept the closure of the Jewish Agency in Russia without taking countermeasures. The tone is getting sharper every day.

Nachman Shai, Minister for the Diaspora, called Russia’s actions “aggressive” and declared: “Russian Jews should not become hostages in the Ukraine war.” And Natan Sharanski, who had been in prison in the Soviet Union as a dissident and later headed the Jewish Agency in Jerusalem, called on all Jews in Russia to come to Israel as soon as possible.

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