Abramovich's Plane In Israel, Minister Says It's No Safe Haven For Russians Under Sanctions

Football – Chelsea – Crystal Palace – Barclays Premier League – Stamford Bridge – 03/05/15 Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich in the stands. Action images via Reuters/John Sibley

JERUSALEM, March 14 – A plane suspected to have been used by sanctioned oligarch Roman Abramovich was in Israel on Monday, but the foreign minister said the country is no safe haven for Russian businessmen whose assets are being frozen in connection with invasion of Ukraine.

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said that Israel’s financial, banking and aviation authorities are coordinating their actions on this issue.

“Israel will not be a way to circumvent the sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and other Western countries,” Lapid said in a statement during a visit to Slovakia, which borders Ukraine.

A source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters that the plane used by Russian billionaire Abramovich landed at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday, confirming Israeli media reports.

The Foreign Ministry statement does not mention the aircraft. A spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the aircraft.

Reuters could not immediately determine whether Abramovich, who also holds Israeli and Portuguese citizenship, was on board. The plane was due to leave Israel later on Monday, the source said.

The plane’s arrival was a sign that Israel is walking a fine line in its relationship with Russia, a powerful broker in neighboring Syria.

The billionaire owner of British football club Chelsea was among seven oligarchs placed on Britain’s sanctions list on Thursday in a bid to isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin over his invasion of Ukraine. More

Abramovich denies close ties to Putin.

A source at the British Ministry of Transport said Friday that the UK is looking for helicopters and planes belonging to sanctioned oligarchs. More

CALL FOR SANCTIONS

In an interview with Israel’s Channel 12 on Friday, Victoria Nuland, US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, said Washington is asking Israel to join financial and export sanctions against Russia.

Lapid did not explicitly say whether Israel is considering its own sanctions. But he said the Foreign Ministry is “coordinating this issue with partners including the Bank of Israel, the Treasury, the Economy, the Airports Authority, the Energy and others.”

Asked for further details, the Bank of Israel told Reuters that it is “constantly monitoring the evolution of payment systems, markets and the financial system.”

Any Israeli sanctions could complicate Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s efforts to resolve the Russian-Ukrainian crisis. On March 5, he held talks in Moscow with Putin and spoke several times on the phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“There is no justification for violating Ukraine’s territorial integrity, and there is no justification for attacks on civilians,” said Lapid, who has been one of the most outspoken cabinet ministers in condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

In an effort to prevent Russian oligarchs from evading foreign sanctions, Israel this month limited private jet parking to 24 hours.

Due to strong public sympathy for Ukraine in Israel, Yad Vashem, the national Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem, said on Thursday that it had suspended its strategic partnership with Abramovich after Britain opposed him.

Reporting by Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem; Additional reporting by Jan Lopatka and Robert Müller in Bratislava; Stephen Shire in Modi’in; Editing by Jeffrey Heller and Frank Jack Daniel.

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