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Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid warned Russia on Sunday that it would close a major non-profit organization encouraging Jewish immigration to Israel, a forced closure that could undermine relations between the two countries. Said there is.
A court hearing will be held in Moscow on Thursday about the Russian Justice Ministry’s move to close the Russian branch of the Jewish institution.
Rapid said this week he would send a delegation to Moscow to “make every effort to maximize legal dialogue” on the case.
“The Russian Jewish community is big and important and will appear in every political conversation with the Moscow government,” Rapid said in a statement on Sunday. “The closure of the agency’s office is a serious event and will affect relationships.”
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Tensions have increased between Israel and Russia since Putin launched the invasion of Ukraine in February. Rapid, who served as foreign minister before becoming interim prime minister this month, accused Russian troops of committing “war crimes against unprotected civilians” in April.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the fact that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was Jewish “does not deny the Nazi element of Ukraine” and “Hitler also had Jewish blood.” At that time, it was widely criticized in May. Rapid called it “an unforgivable, ridiculous statement.”
Rapid’s predecessor, Naftali Bennett, sought to mediate peace early in the war and held separate talks with Putin and Zelensky.
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According to Jewish institutions, immigration to Israel among Russian Jews has increased since the beginning of the war, with approximately 17,000 Russians acquiring Israeli citizenship and an additional 40,000 Israel since February. Immigrated to and applying for citizenship. In all of 2021, only about 77,000 Russian Jews migrated to Israel.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.