Thousands of Ukrainian and Russian Jewish immigrants have moved to Israel since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, underscoring the special role the organization can play in a time of war.
Russian news agencies reported that authorities in Russia are accusing the agency of alleged violations of local law, including those related to the collection of data on Russian citizens. On Thursday, a Russian court will hold a hearing on the Russian government’s request to dissolve the agency’s operations in the country.
In its public statements, the Jerusalem Agency’s headquarters confirmed only that a hearing would take place on Thursday and that it would “not comment during the legal process.”
The situation initially appeared to be nearing a diplomatic crisis point, with Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid warning earlier this week that an attempt to dismantle the agency’s Russian branch “would be a serious event that would affect relations” with Russia.
In accordance with Lapid’s directive and in coordination with Russian authorities, an Israeli delegation will leave for Moscow on Wednesday afternoon and hold meetings with relevant parties in Russia, the Israeli government confirmed.
The Jerusalem Post reported in early July that the Jewish Agency had been under investigation by Russian officials for the past three years. Russian officials formally asked the agency to end its Russian operations just weeks after Lapid took over as interim prime minister from Naftali Bennett.
In his previous position as foreign minister, Lapid was one of the most outspoken Israeli leaders in criticizing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on a Russian broadcast Tuesday that Israel had a “pro-Ukrainian” and “prejudiced” attitude toward Ukraine in recent months.
However, after days of heightened tension, two statements by Lapid and Russian Presidential Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov are seen as a way to reduce pressure by focusing on the “legal” aspects.
“This situation should be handled very carefully,” Peskov was quoted as saying by Russian state news agency TASS. “Indeed, there are questions to the Jewish Agency for Israel in terms of compliance with Russian law, and this situation should not be politicized or projected onto the whole set of Russian-Israeli ties,” he added.
Shortly after Peskov’s comments, Lapid’s spokesman responded by saying, “If there are legal issues that arise in connection with the significant activity of the Jewish Agency in Russia, Israel is, as always, ready and willing to engage in dialogue, while maintaining the important relations between the countries.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who headed the Jewish Agency from 2018 to 2021, also appeared to lower the table on Tuesday, telling a conference held by Israel’s News Channel 13: “The less we talk about it and the more we do, the better.”
“Russia is an important country. There could be many different scenarios and explanations for why and how this happened,” he added.
On Tuesday, Lapid’s office released an exchange of letters between Vladimir Putin and the new Israeli prime minister when the latter took over the role four weeks ago, in which the language is cordial.
In a letter sent through the Russian embassy in Tel Aviv, Putin congratulated Lapid on taking office, adding that “Russian-Israeli relations are traditionally of a friendly nature.”
In response, Lapid said that relations between Russia and Israel are “deep-rooted.”
Since the invasion, Israel has been performing a diplomatic balancing act in relations with Moscow. Although it has officially condemned the invasion and regularly sends aid to Ukraine, Israel has yet to send weapons to the Ukrainians and has been criticized for not being more forceful in its criticism of Russia. Regionally, however, Israel does not want to upset Russia when the Israeli air force tries to strike targets in Syria. Israel has launched hundreds of strikes against its neighbor in recent years, mostly aimed at cutting off Iran’s supply of precision-guided missile technology to Hezbollah. Since Russia entered the Syrian war in 2015, Israel has needed Moscow’s tacit approval to carry out such attacks.
Digestion
‘We don’t know what’s going on’ with Iran’s nuclear program, says UN watchdog
The head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, told CNN that the agency has no knowledge of whether Iran is developing a nuclear weapon.
Background: When it comes to Tehran’s uranium enrichment, “the issue is that you have all these activities going on. And we don’t have the visibility. We don’t know what’s going on,” the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) told the CNN’s Sara Sidner in an interview Monday. In June, Iran began removing virtually all IAEA equipment installed under the Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), including 27 cameras. A key tenet of the now-defunct deal was that the IAEA could independently monitor Iran’s nuclear program.
Why it matters: The Biden White House is working to revive the JCPOA deal, but US special envoy for Iran Rob Malley told CNN last week that the window for a deal is “closing very quickly.” Grossi told CNN he believes the space for a deal is “narrowing.”
Turkey still expects Sweden to extradite Kurds in exchange for NATO approval
Turkey is “still awaiting the extradition or deportation of PKK-related, PYD/YPG-related individuals from Sweden,” and the ratification of Sweden’s and Finland’s NATO applications will depend on “what kind of measures receive,” Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told CNN on Monday.
Background: Speaking to CNN’s Becky Anderson, Kalin said the deal between Turkey and the Nordic countries set “specific conditions” that included “taking steps to address Turkey’s security concerns.” Asked whether the extradition of suspected Kurdish fighters was a condition for validating NATO bids, Kalin said Turkey had made it “very clear from the beginning” that such conditions would have to be met. Erdogan has accused the two countries of harboring members of the separatist militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party, also known as the PKK, which seeks an independent Kurdish state and has been in armed conflict with Turkey for decades.
Why it matters: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week renewed his threat to “freeze the process” of NATO membership for Sweden and Finland after he conditionally agreed to give the green light to their candidacy following negotiations with the Nordic countries and NATO members at the end of June.
Iran sees a sixfold increase in oil revenue Iran has increased revenue from oil and condensate exports by 580 percent compared to the same period last year, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported, citing Iranian Economy Minister Ehsan Haddoozi.
Background: The six-fold increase occurred in the first four months of the Iranian year (from March 21 to July 22), Tasnim news agency reported. Earlier this year, Iran’s central bank governor said the country had restored its oil production to pre-sanctions levels, Tasnim added.
Why it matters: Talks between Tehran and world powers to revive the 2015 nuclear deal in exchange for sanctions relief have stalled since March. Iran’s economy continues to be under pressure, but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February has begun to take valuable Russian oil off the Western market. Russia and Iran are now competing for discounted barrels in the Asian market, a key lifeline for Iran’s oil industry.
What to watch
After Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement in Istanbul promising to release millions of tons of trapped Ukrainian grain, questions now lie in the agreement’s implementation.
International correspondent Nic Robertson, who spoke with Ukraine’s infrastructure minister, tells CNN’s Becky Anderson what to expect next.
See the report here:
Around the area
How much money do you think you could make playing popular video games like Fortnite or Rocket League? How does $15 million sound?
That’s the prize on offer in various tournaments this summer for skilled players at the Gamers8 Esports event in Saudi Arabia, with a free game of Fortnite on the menu this week.
But watching is anything but — front-row tickets to see the world’s best players will set you back $50 on Riyadh Boulevard, an open-air shopping, entertainment and fine dining area called the Times Square of Saudi Arabia . Some of the most popular games in the world are involved, such as the aforementioned Fortnite and Rocket League, but also Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege and the mobile game PUBG.
This week’s Fortnite competition is one of the biggest of the tournament, with 44 teams of two battling it out for the $2 million prize. Huge amounts of cash are already being handed out in other tournaments, with individual players winning $25,000 for special achievement prizes, while teams have won up to $1.5 million for overcoming frenzied digital battles. Video games are hugely popular in Saudi Arabia, where 21.1 million played them in 2020, according to Intenta Digital, a game addiction research firm, and the industry brought in more than $1 billion in revenue in the Gulf country that same year.
By Eoin McSweeney
