Israel raises its voice after the closure of the Jewish Agency in Moscow

A sign at the entrance to a Russian branch of the Jewish Agency for Israel, in Moscow, Russia, July 21, 2022. REUTERS - EVGENIA NOVOZHENINA

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1 min

After having tried to minimize it, Israel now takes the dispute between it and Moscow very seriously.

Russia calls for the closure of the Jewish Agency, the organization that manages the emigration of Jews.

But in Jerusalem, the dispute between the two countries is believed to be broader.

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With our correspondent in Jerusalem,

After a special meeting, Prime Minister Yair Lapid ordered measures to be prepared if Russia persists in demanding that

.

“ 

warns the Israeli Prime Minister

.

Punishing the Jewish Agency for Israel's position with Ukraine is deplorable, underlines Nahman Shaï, the Israeli minister for the Diaspora.

Russian Jews will not be taken hostage, he adds.

Created in 1929, the Jewish Agency deals in particular with organizing the emigration to Israel of people of Jewish origin.

Russian officials justify their decision to close the Jewish agency by "

".

It turns out that it's not just the role of Jewish Agency emissaries that is in question.

Other Jewish organizations in Russia have received letters of formal notice, their representatives in Israel say.

Added to this are other older disputes between Russia and Israel, such as the return of several buildings in Jerusalem, including part of the Alexander Nevsky Church in the old city.

A file on which Israel is recalcitrant.

An Israeli official believes that the Russians are exercising a form of revenge against Israel.

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