The fate of the Jewish Agency for Israel in Russia is a legal issue that is under the Justice Ministry’s jurisdiction, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told television presenter Vladimir Solovyov on Live TV Tuesday.
“This is a Justice Ministry issue, according to my information. This is a legal issue, certainly,” Zakharova said.
TASS cited a source in Moscow’s Basmanny District Court who said on July 21 the Justice Ministry filed a lawsuit demanding that the Jewish Agency, which has the status of an autonomous non-profit organization in Russia, be shut down. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 28.
TASS noted that Prime Minister Yair Lapid held an urgent meeting on the matter on July 21, resulting in a decision to send an Israeli delegation to Russia “in the near future,” as the news agency put it. The delegation, made up of legal scholars, will argue on behalf of the Jewish Agency, asking to allow it to continue its activities in Russia.
Also on Tuesday, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov urged reporters not to project the situation around the Jewish Agency on “the entirety of relations between Tel Aviv and Moscow.”
“This situation should be treated very carefully. Indeed, there are questions to the Jewish Agency for Israel from the point of view of complying with Russia’s legislation and this situation should not be politicized or projected onto the entire set of Russian-Israeli ties,” Peskov said.
“That said, it is necessary to realize that absolutely all the organizations should comply with the Russian legislation, this is a general requirement for everyone,” the spokesman said.
The Jewish Press reported on Monday that the Israeli legal team tasked with helping the Jewish Agency face a hearing in a Moscow court this Thursday had not left Israel, because Russia had not issued the necessary visas for the delegation to enter the country (No Entry Visas for Israeli Legal Team to Address Russia’s Jewish Agency Crisis).
