Israeli PM Lapid warns Russia against closing Jewish Agency offices

Prime Minister Yair Lapid said Sunday that Moscow's closing of Jewish Agency offices in Russia would be a "serious event" that strains bilateral relations.

Lapid told a meeting of senior officials that "closing the Jewish Agency offices would be a serious event that would affect relations", a government statement said.

A "legal delegation [would] be prepared to depart for Moscow as soon as the Russian approval for talks is received and to make every effort to exhaust the legal dialogue", on top of diplomatic efforts to ease the dispute.

The Jewish Agency facilitates the immigration of Jews from Russia and elsewhere to Israel but has been assigned a 'foreign agent' status by Moscow authorities.

As a result, its offices in Russia could be closed following threats by Moscow after a deterioration in relations with Israel.

Several Russian-Jewish organisations have also been on the receiving end of threats by the Russian justice ministry in recent weeks, according to reporting by The Jerusalem Post. 

The group, established in 1929, was ordered to cease all operations in Russia in an official correspondence from the Russian justice ministry.

Now several Jewish organisations have received similar warnings by letter in recent weeks, according to multiple reports. 

Some commentators believe that the Russian government is exerting pressure on new Israeli PM Lapid for taking a tougher stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

Lapid has reportedly tasked Israeli diplomats with creating a plan of action should Russia make good on its threats to the Jewish Agency, such as recalling the Israeli ambassador to Moscow, making stronger public statements against Russia - and stepping up Israeli support for Ukraine.

Russian Jews told Israeli TV Channel 12 on Monday that they fear a return to the days of the Soviet Union when Jews faced great difficulty in leaving the country and immigrating to Israel.

Around 7,000 Jews immigrated to Israel from Russia last year, according to Israeli government data.

The Jewish Agency began working in Russia in 1989, two years before the end of the Soviet Union, after which hundreds of thousands of Jews from all over the former USSR left for Israel.

More than a million Israeli citizens today are originally from the former Soviet Union.