46 Israeli tourists detained at Moscow airport

High-level Russian delegation heading to Jerusalem

A high-level Russian diplomatic delegation is expected to arrive in Israel Thursday, a day after 46 Israeli citizens were detained at a Moscow airport.

In an annual meeting on consular issues planned before the detention, diplomats are expected to try to smooth over the fact that the Israeli group – including children – was held for six hours in Domodedovo Airport before being allowed entry into Russia. This came after eight businessmen were detained overnight in a Russian airport earlier in the week.

The diplomats also plan to discuss the ongoing imprisonment of American-Israeli citizen Naama Issachar, who was sentenced by a Russian court to seven years in prison after less than 10 grams of cannabis was found in her luggage during a flight connection in Moscow earlier this year.

Russia and Israel enjoy a visa-waiver program, and citizens of both countries should, theoretically, be able to easily travel between them.

However, some members of the group detained Wednesday reported that their passports were confiscated, and that they were interrogated in Russian without translation and were not supplied with a reason for the detention.

Itamar Eichner, a reporter

for Yediot Aharonot, was one of the detainees, and tweeted throughout the day about the “unpleasant” experience.

“The Israelis are being questioned slowly,” he wrote. “Meanwhile, hundreds of tourists from around the world are entering, and not one is being detained.”

Eichner was asked to sign a document in Russian, which

he refused to do. He suspected it was an attempt to prevent him from reporting on Issachar. He was also fingerprinted and photographed by officials. He said he asked a Russian official why they were being held, and was told, “Check how many tourists from Russia you refuse to allow in.”

Over 5,700 Russian tourists were not allowed into Israel since the beginning of 2019, the Russian Embassy said, averaging 20 per day.

These tourists “arrive in Israel with money, and have organized tours, and are delayed and sent back to Russia,” the embassy added, with the implication that they are unlikely to be taking advantage of the visa waiver in order to work illegally in Israel.

The Foreign Ministry said it is “working so that tourists and Israeli businesspeople can continue to enter Russia, as it has been until now,” and that “the two countries have a joint interest in encouraging mutual tourism and bilateral trade ties.”

The Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that the detentions are connected to Issachar, and a Russian court is expected to hear an appeal by Issachar’s lawyers on Thursday.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to bring Issachar back to Israel, in remarks made Tuesday night, but sources close to the prime minister clarified the next day that he is working on her return, which may take time.

Foreign Minister Israel Katz said he instructed his office to emphasize the Israeli expectation that Issachar will “quickly be returned... to her family” and that “Israel places great importance on its relations with Russia.”

Israel does not currently have an ambassador to Russia. The former ambassador’s term ended four months ago, and a new one has not been appointed during this extended interim government period.