An Israeli delegation will leave this evening, Wednesday, for the Russian capital, Moscow, for the first time since the start of the crisis between the two countries against the backdrop of the Russian move to ban the Jewish Agency that helps Jews immigrate to Israel.
"At the orders of Prime Minister Yair Lapid and in coordination with the Russian authorities, this evening the Israeli delegation will leave for Moscow to hold meetings with the relevant Russian authorities," the office of Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said in a written statement.
Lapid said that the closure of the agency's branch in Russia is "dangerous and will have repercussions on (bilateral) relations."
On Sunday, Israel decided to send a delegation to Moscow after the Russian Ministry of Justice decided to ask the judiciary to ban the activities of the Jewish Agency, but the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation indicated at the time that Russia did not agree to the arrival of the Israeli legal delegation, until the recent announcement by the Prime Minister’s Office.
The Russian Ministry of Justice is seeking to liquidate the Jewish Agency branch in the country.
Authorities say the agency violated privacy laws and are expected to provide more details to a Russian court on Thursday.
The case has raised concerns in Israel about a crisis with Russia, home to the largest Jewish community and influence in neighboring Syria.
Exacerbating the crisis, Israeli officials leaked a list of possible Israeli responses to the expected Russian decision, including the possibility of summoning the Israeli ambassador in Moscow for consultations.
In a conference organized by Israeli Channel 13, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz revealed that Russian defense batteries fired at Israeli planes during their bombing of sites in Syria last May, although he indicated that the incident occurred only once.
Netanyahu has always boasted about his special relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin (Getty Images)
Netanyahu takes advantage of the crisis
Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu turned the Israeli-Russian crisis into part of his electoral propaganda, after accusing his rivals of mismanaging relations with Moscow.
Netanyahu, the leader of the right-wing Likud party, is seeking to return to power after the general elections that will be held on November 1.
Netanyahu leads the race for the prime minister's seat against his rivals, caretaker prime minister and "There is a Future" party leader Yair Lapid, and Defense Minister and Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz.
Netanyahu has always boasted about the special relationship he managed to establish with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which resulted in an agreement to coordinate the Russian and Israeli militaries for their work in Syria.
Netanyahu blamed Lapid and Gantz for the crisis with Russia, as he described it.
"For years, we have been leading a measured, balanced and responsible relationship with Russia, but there is a serious crisis now," Netanyahu said at a press conference held on Tuesday in Tel Aviv, accusing Lapid and Gantz of "gossip and endangering our national security."
"We can, and we must, get out of this crisis. I am concerned that what we have built over the years is being undermined before our very eyes in recent weeks," he added.
The Israeli Bureau of Statistics estimates the number of Jews of Russian origin in Israel at about 900,000, and there are about 600,000 Russians who are eligible to immigrate to Israel.
Officials said the number of immigration applications had increased since the dispute over the Jerusalem-based Jewish Agency, the largest non-profit Jewish agency, began.