Scandal with the ex-minister in the Crimea may cancel the visa-free regime Ukraine-Israel

Sergey Aksenov, Rabbi Benjamin Wolf and Knesset member Yaakov Margi in the Crimea.
Photo: Department of Information and Press Service of the “Head of Crimea”.

The scandalous visit to Crimea of ​​the ex-minister for religious affairs, the current Knesset member from the Shas party, Yaakov Margi and his February 10 meeting with the head of the occupying power Peninsula Sergei Aksenov caused a sharply negative reaction in Ukraine to the Israeli guest.

The arrival of this 55-year-old native of Morocco was fully exploited by Russian propaganda as a “breakthrough of the information blockade of Crimea.” The main TV channel for foreign broadcasting in Russia - Russia Today - dedicated special plot of the meeting of Marga and Aksyonov. Moreover, the private visit of one deputy was called “the arrival of the official delegation of the Israeli Knesset.” The leadership of the Israeli parliament later emphasized that no “delegation” was sent to Crimea on behalf of the Knesset.

Judging by the RT television report, the logistics for organizing this visit were handled by Shneur-Zalman Wolf, next to whom stood a sign “Head of the Chabad Representative Office in the Knesset.” In fact, no such “representation” exists in nature, and Shneur-Zalman himself is a paid private lobbyist who resolves issues with Knesset members in the interests of his clients. It is interesting to note that this lobbyist is the brother of three other Wolf rabbis: two of them - Rabbis Avraham and Yosef Yitzchak Wolf - have successfully led the Jewish communities of Odessa and Kherson for many years, and the third brother, Benjamin, leads the community of Sevastopol.

A shot from the TV program Russia Today.

We give comments on the possible consequences of this scandal, collected 11 February ForumDaily.

Ambassador of Ukraine to Israel Gennady Nadolenko:

“On behalf of the embassy, ​​letters of protest were sent today to the Israeli Foreign Ministry and to the head of the Shas party, Minister Arya Deri. In our letters, we drew attention to the inadmissibility of such visits to occupied Crimea. I discussed with Kiev the scandalous visit of Yakov Marga and his meeting with the head of the occupation authorities of Crimea. It is quite possible that after all the details of this visit are clarified, the Margi deputy will be blacklisted with a ban on entry into Ukraine. If such trips by deputies continue, it is quite possible that Ukraine may take measures to introduce additional forms of visa regime. And this, in turn, could complicate flights for religious pilgrims traveling from Israel to Uman, as a reaction to the violation of Ukrainian laws by Shas party deputy Yaakov Margi.”

Chief Rabbi of Kiev and Ukraine Moshe-Reuven Asman:

“I strongly condemn the use of the name of the religious movement Chabad and the name of the State of Israel in the interests of propaganda. It is clearly visible that the “picture” of this visit of a member of the Israeli parliament to Crimea was specially organized for showing on Russian TV. I receive many calls from citizens of Ukraine, including Jews, with protest and indignation about this. Today I spoke with other rabbis of Ukraine, including the chief rabbi of Dnepropetrovsk and the Dnepropetrovsk region, Shmuel Kaminetsky, and he supported my indignation with the harshest words. The Lubavitcher Rebbe was always against using the Chabad movement for political purposes. “As far as I know, the Knesset said today that this member was not authorized to represent the Israeli parliament.”

Deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Georgy Logvinsky (Popular Front party), authorized representative of the Ukrainian Parliament for control of illegal border crossings with occupied Crimea:

“If it turns out that Mr. Yaakov Margi did not apply for permission to enter Ukraine and held official meetings with people who support the annexation of Crimea by Russia, then, at a minimum, he faces a ban on entry into Ukraine. At a maximum, criminal proceedings may be opened against him with imprisonment for up to 8 years.

Margi is not the first deputy in this situation. According to four French deputies, criminal suspicions are already open in Ukraine, they face up to 8 years in prison for their illegal visit to Crimea. This issue was considered in PACE - and a resolution was adopted that the immunity of deputies does not apply to entry into the temporarily occupied territory of the Crimea. We have opened criminal investigations against deputies of France, Germany, Poland and personally against Silvio Berlusconi.

The initiators of Marga’s visit specifically decided to “set me up” in order to see how I, a Jew, would act against an Israeli deputy.

I would like to emphasize that in September 2015, at a meeting of the delegation of Ukrainian deputies in the Knesset, I notified Speaker Yuli Edelstein - and there is an entry in the minutes of the meeting about this - that I ask Israeli deputies not to violate the rules and laws of Ukraine. I warned that the topic of entry into Crimea could be used as a provocation. Yuli Edelstein then replied: “Don’t worry, this won’t happen.” In January 2016, I again addressed this warning to the Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine Eliav Belotserkovsky.

The legal mechanism for visiting Crimea for Israelis is this: a private visit - contact the Migration Service through the embassy in Tel Aviv, we very quickly give permission, and the person calmly enters. If he goes there without receiving such permission for a private visit, then this is qualified as an administrative violation with a ban on entry into Ukraine for three years. If he went without permission and meets with Crimean terrorists - heads of an organized crime group (OCG) who are wanted in Ukraine, guilty of murdering Crimean Tatars, arresting our property, robbery and robbery of private individuals’ funds and the state budget - if he meets with them and legitimizes their power, then he is an accomplice to their crimes. This automatically results in criminal punishment.”

Additionally, high-ranking source in Kiev informed portal ForumDaily:

“The Security Service of Ukraine has already begun an investigation into the circumstances of the visit of deputy Yaakov Margi. Special questions for the special service are raised by the fact that the organizers of the meeting in Crimea were the brothers Benjamin and Shneur-Zalman Wolf, whose brothers are rabbis in Odessa and Kherson. These cities are border areas, and the SBU may well ask questions to the Wolf brothers. As a result, this trip by ex-Shas minister Yaakov Margi could create problems for other Jewish communities.”

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