Israel rushes to de-escalate diplomatic crisis with Russia
Israeli President Isaac Herzog is now trying to discreetly resolve the diplomatic dispute between Moscow and Jerusalem so that the Jewish Agency can continue its activities there.
Five months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Israel finds itself at a stand-off with President Vladimir Putin. The sophisticated balancing act executed by former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett between Putin and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, inter alia offering his services as a mediator, provided Israel with a period of grace during which it somehow managed to hold the stick at both ends.
The changing of the guard between Bennett and his Alternate Prime Minister Yair Lapid earlier this month put an end to that strange honeymoon. Russia is now threatening to close down the activity of the quasi-governmental Jewish Agency, which encourages Russian Jewish immigration to Israel.
As far as Israel is concerned, such a move is a step toward declaring war. Immigration to Israel is one of the basic tenets underpinning the Jewish state. With hundreds of thousands of Jews still living in Russia, it views the suspension of Israel’s immigration arm as a glaring signal of trouble.
At this point, Israeli-Russian operational military coordination on Syria remains intact. Since Lapid took office, Israel has reportedly conducted at least one raid on targets in Syria, according to foreign media outlets. The dialogue mechanism established between Russia’s military headquarters in Moscow and the headquarters of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and of the Israeli Air Force (IAF) in Tel Aviv apparently continues to operate as usual. However, Israel is concerned about the diplomatic crisis spilling over into the security realm, too, and limiting its ability to operate against Iran’s entrenchment in Syria.
