A court ruling has thwarted Moscow’s attempts to extradite Alexander’s court
Russian President Vladimir Putin recently sent a letter to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett urging Israel to hand over control of a disputed religious property in Jerusalem’s Old City to him, website Ynet reported on Monday.
Moscow has been trying to secure the site of the Church of Alexanderhof for years, but a recent court ruling has scuppered its plans by nullifying recognition of its claims to the complex near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
According to Ynet, the letter shows the importance Moscow attaches to the issue, and officials in Jerusalem fear the issue could exacerbate tensions with Russia, already acute over the invasion of Ukraine.
Last month, the Jerusalem District Court overturned a ruling that gave the Russian government control of Alexander’s court.
Israel has been trying to balance the good relations with Russia needed for security operations in Syria with growing international concerns over the conflict in Ukraine, where Moscow faces war crimes allegations after invading its neighbor in February.
According to Ynet, the letter was unveiled by Sergei Stepashin, a former Russian prime minister and president of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society, which oversees Russian holdings in the region. Mr Stepashin is visiting Israel and raising the issue at a rally outside the court of Sergei, another property that was handed over to Russia a decade ago at a time of similar property claims.
Mr Stepashin said that Russia had provided all the necessary documents to show that it was the legal owner of the Alexander Court, but that after the conflict in Ukraine began, the Israeli authorities “decided not to take a decision”.
According to Ynet, Stepashin assured that if necessary, Russia will apply diplomatic pressure to get what it wants.
Former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu approved the handover of the Alexanderhof to Russia in 2020. The move was seen as a goodwill gesture following the release of Naama Issachar, a young Israeli who was detained after discovering a small amount of marijuana in his backpack Stopover in Moscow.