Israeli delegation to travel to Moscow amid Jewish emigration agency dispute

An Israeli delegation will travel to Moscow on Wednesday to hold talks with officials, Prime Minister Yair Lapid’s office said, amid a dispute over the activities in Russia of an agency that helps Jews move to Israel.

Russia’s justice ministry is seeking the liquidation of the Russian branch of the non-profit Jewish Agency. Authorities have alleged it has breached privacy laws and are expected to present more details in a Russian court on Thursday.

The case has stirred worries in Israel about a crisis with Russia, which is home to a large Jewish community and wields clout in next-door Syria.

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“In coordination with the authorities in Russia, the Israeli delegation will leave for Moscow this evening and hold meetings with the relevant parties in the Russian system,” said a statement from Lapid’s office.

Some 600,000 Russians are eligible to emigrate to Israel.

Officials have said there has been a rise in applications since the dispute arose over the Jewish Agency, which is based in Jerusalem and is the world’s largest Jewish non-profit organization.

Lapid has said a closing of its Russia branch would be “grave, with ramifications for (bilateral) relations.”

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