Israel grapples with how to deal with dozens of Russian-Israeli oligarchs under Law of Return policy

Israel now finds itself in a dilemma “with how to deal with dozens of Jewish Russian oligarchs as Western nations step up sanctions on businesspeople with ties to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.”

There are many wider questions and considerations for Israel now, which are not restricted to the Russian oligarchs:

What about people who may pose a high security threat to Israel? Should they be absorbed by Israel, given escalating threats around the world? There are also Jewish individuals who may support the Palestinian agenda, which is really a jihad against Israel (one that is heavily supported by Iran, which funds Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad). And what about those who may view Israel as an “apartheid” state that is in breach of international law, and an “occupier” of so-called “Palestinian lands”? Are these individuals to be viewed as a security risk for Israel? Should Israel still grant automatic citizenship to anyone of Jewish descent, or is it time for Israel to reassess its Law of Return policy? The difficulty, of course, would be forging any agreement among Israeli authorities about where to draw the line.

According to a Times of Israel report, tensions are now rising over Israel’s decision not to take action against the Russian oligarchs, particularly with the Biden administration. It is important to remember that Israel is under constant scrutiny and existential threat, so it must be diligent to act in its interests.

A can of worms has been opened in Israel with its Law of Return policy, given the complexity of this present crisis. But also, Israel is faced with a bigger risk than any other country would be taking on, by undertaking the role of mediating the two sides: the constant historic threat of antisemitism, which frequently manifests itself in the Jewish state being unreasonably blamed for every problem that goes wrong.

“Israel Considering How to Deal with Dozens of Russian-Israeli Oligarchs,” Associated Press, March 14, 2022:

JERUSALEM (AP) – Israel is grappling with how to deal with dozens of Jewish Russian oligarchs as Western nations step up sanctions on businesspeople with ties to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.

A worried Israeli government has formed a high-level committee to see how the country can maintain its status as a haven for any Jew without running afoul of the biting sanctions targeting Putin’s inner circle.

Several dozen Jewish tycoons from Russia are believed to have taken on Israeli citizenship or residency in recent years. Many have good working relations with the Kremlin, and at least four — Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich, Mikhail Fridman, Petr Aven, and Viktor Vekselberg — have been sanctioned internationally because of their purported connections to Putin.

Israel, which has emerged as an unlikely mediator between Ukraine and Russia, has not joined the sanctions imposed by the U.S., Britain, European Union, and others. But as the war in Ukraine drags on, and other names are added to the list, the pressure is increasing.

In an interview with Israel’s Channel 12 TV station over the weekend, the U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, Victoria Nuland, called on Israel to join the group of countries that have sanctioned Russia.

“What we are asking among other things is for every democracy around the world to join us in the financial and export control sanctions that we have put on Putin,” she said. “You don’t want to become the last haven for dirty money that’s fueling Putin’s wars.”

Aaron David Miller, a now-retired veteran U.S. diplomat, said on Twitter that Nuland’s comments were the “toughest battering of Israeli policy since crisis began or of any policy in very long while.”

Israel, founded as a haven for Jews in the wake of the Holocaust, grants automatic citizenship to anyone of Jewish descent. Since the disintegration of the Soviet Union 30 years ago, an estimated 1 million Jews from Russia and other former Soviet republics have moved to Israel. In recent years, a growing number of tycoons from the former Soviet Union have joined them….