A delegation of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday held meetings at the Russian Federation Council — the upper house of the country’s Federal Assembly. Addressing the criticism of Russia’s vote in favor of UNESCO’s resolution which ignores the Jewish connection to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, the chairman of the Council of the Federation Committee on Foreign Affairs, Konstantin Kosachev, said Russia has never questioned the Jews’ right to the Temple Mount, nor has it questioned the right of others to the holy site.
However, in late October, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov told TASS that Israel’s emotional approach to resolutions of UNESCO on Jerusalem is “not quite justified,” suggesting the Israelis’ “emotions are over the top.”
“Israelis have a sensitive attitude toward that issue,” he said, “But this time we felt that Israelis’ emotions are a bit over the top in that issue,” Gatilov said, adding that “in this regard, the excessively emotional approach of Israel is not quite justified.”
Knesset Committee Chairman MK Avi Dichter (Likud), and MKs Robert Ilatov (Yisrael Beitenu), Eyal Ben-Reuven (Zionist Camp) and Aliza Lavie (Yesh Atid), and their hosts stressed the importance of the relations between the countries, as well as the need to continue the diplomatic and security dialogue and continue developing the economic, cultural and technological ties.
The talks also focused on Israel’s and Russia’s mutual interest in seeking regional stability and combating terror, and ideas on how to cooperate were discussed.
As to the Russian government’s decision on paying working pensions to Israelis who immigrated from the former Soviet Union, the officials said the decision is supposed to be approved by the State Duma (the lower house of the Russian parliament) and the Federation Council by the end of the year.
The delegation also met with the Russia-Israel Friendship Association, and attended a dinner hosted by the Israeli ambassador. The dinner was also attended by four chairpersons of committees in the State Duma and the Federation Council, as well as by Russia’s chief rabbi.
On Tuesday the MKs are scheduled to meet with representatives of the Israeli Foreign Ministry in Moscow, with President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy to the Middle East, Mikhail Bogdanov, with members of the State Duma’s Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Defense Committee, and with the deputy head of the National Security Council.
