1658853794 Israel wants to ease tensions with Russia The less we

Israel wants to ease tensions with Russia: ‘The less we talk about it, the better’

President Isaac Herzog hinted Tuesday that Israel is trying to keep a low profile in a growing dispute with Moscow over Russia’s moves to limit the Jewish Agency’s activities in the country.

Russia, meanwhile, sent out mixed messages, with the Kremlin describing the dispute as a purely legal matter, while its foreign ministry has long accused Israel of being “unconstructive” and “biased” towards Moscow.

Speaking at a conference hosted by Israel’s Channel 13 news channel, Herzog, who ran the Jewish Agency from 2018 to 2021, said that while the issue is “close to his heart,” he thought it would be better to keep public mention to a minimum.

“I have been fully collaborating with Prime Minister Yair Lapid… I will help where I can,” said Herzog, who met with Lapid on Monday night.

“Some things are better left unsaid,” said the President.

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“I think the less we talk about it, the better we’ll be. It will allow the issue to be addressed appropriately,” he added.

Herzog continued: “Russia is an important country. There could be numerous different scenarios and explanations as to why and how this happened… Let’s wrap up the issue. The less we talk about it and the more we do, the better.”

Despite his largely ceremonial role, the current administration has repeatedly drawn on Herzog’s diplomatic skills.

Israel wants to ease tensions with Russia The less we

The then head of the Jewish agency, Isaac Herzog, helps a participant at a bar and bat mitzvah for deaf teenagers unwrap his tefillin at the Nitzanim Synagogue in Jerusalem May 20, 2019. (Nachshon Philipson)

The Kremlin said on Tuesday that a move to shut down the agency in Russia was a purely legal matter.

“The situation should not be politicized or projected onto the whole Russian-Israeli relationship,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

“There are problems in terms of compliance with Russian law,” he added. “This situation should be handled very carefully.”

Peskov did not give any further details.

However, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Tuesday accused Israel of “unconstructive” behavior.

“Unfortunately, in the statements made by Tel Aviv in recent months, we have heard completely unconstructive and, above all, biased rhetoric,” she told Soloviev Live, according to TASS, highlighting Israeli statements in support of Ukraine.

“When we hear from the country’s authorities saying that some of Russia’s bilateral actions could affect relations, we wonder if these very people think that their actions and statements over the past few months have not yet affected bilateral relations.” , she said.

She was apparently referring to Lapid, who warned on Sunday that the matter could negatively affect relations between the two countries.

But in another sign the sides are trying to tone down the heat, the prime minister’s office on Tuesday confirmed reports from Lapid and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who exchanged greetings on July 5, without giving further details.

The exchange of notes was most likely a formality when Lapid took office as prime minister last month.

1658853790 279 Israel wants to ease tensions with Russia The less we

Left, Prime Minister Yair Lapid chairs a cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister’s office in Jerusalem on July 17, 2022. Right, Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia, July 1, 2021. (Abir SULTAN/POOL/AFP; Alexei Nikolsky , Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Some argue that Moscow’s crackdown on the Jewish Agency, a quasi-government organization that encourages and facilitates Jewish immigration to Israel, was in response to its unequivocal, ongoing condemnation of the Russian invasion of neighboring Ukraine.

In an interview with The Times of Israel on Monday, Moscow-born Israeli politician, journalist and analyst Ksenia Svetlova noted that Russia began threatening sanctions against the Jewish Agency around the same time Lapid took over as prime minister.

“It didn’t happen under [former prime minister Naftali] bennett It didn’t happen underneath [former prime minister Benjamin] Netanyahu. There was something about that government,” Svetlova said.

1658853791 889 Israel wants to ease tensions with Russia The less we

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with then Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Kremlin in Moscow January 30, 2020. (MAXIM SHEMETOV / POOL / AFP)

Last month, Russian authorities told the Jewish Agency that its offices could face sanctions for alleged violations of local laws. Officials in the organization initially believed that this was a low-level issue that could be resolved through negotiation and compromise.

However, as Moscow escalated the situation further, the Jewish Agency approached the State Department to intervene on its behalf.

Last week, Russian authorities formally appealed to a district court in Moscow, demanding the “dissolution” of the Jewish Agency’s offices in Russia. The first hearing is scheduled for this Thursday.

Moscow appears to be exacerbating the situation, having so far refused to issue visas to an Israeli legal delegation planning to visit the country ahead of the hearing this week. The team was due to travel on Sunday but had not received the correct credentials as of Monday night.

Russia’s ultimate goals in its efforts to shut down the Jewish Agency are not entirely clear. Unlike in the past, Moscow has not yet clearly identified what step Israel might take that might cause it to reverse course, or what specific Israeli actions have instigated its antagonism.

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