Amid fears of an imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine, Israel is preparing for the possible evacuation of Jews in the area, Haaretz reported on Sunday evening.
According to the report, senior government officials held a meeting on Sunday on the topic, including representatives from the Foreign Ministry, Prime Minister’s Office, Diaspora Affairs Ministry, Defense Ministry, the National Security Council, the Jewish Agency, and Nativ, an independent unit of the Prime Minister’s Office that maintains ties with Jews in countries of the former Soviet Union.
Israel has had contingency plans for the emergency evacuation of Jews from various countries since the late 1980s and the plan for Ukraine is now being updated.
There are about 75,000 people in eastern Ukraine who are eligible for Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return.
The State Department on Sunday ordered the families of all American personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine to leave the country amid heightened fears of a Russian invasion.
The department told the dependents of staffers at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv that they must leave the country. It also said that non-essential embassy staff could leave Ukraine at government expense.
The move came amid rising tensions about Russia’s military buildup on the Ukraine border that were not eased during talks Friday between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Geneva.
State Department officials stressed the Kyiv embassy will remain open and that the announcement does not constitute an evacuation. The move had been under consideration for some time and does not reflect an easing of U.S. support for Ukraine, the officials said.
In a statement, the State Department noted recent reports that Russia was planning significant military action against Ukraine. However, the Russian Foreign Ministry has accused NATO countries of escalating tensions around Ukraine with disinformation.
The State Department added: “The security conditions, particularly along Ukraine’s borders, in Russia-occupied Crimea, and in Russia-controlled eastern Ukraine, are unpredictable and can deteriorate with little notice. Demonstrations, which have turned violent at times, regularly occur throughout Ukraine, including in Kyiv.”
The department’s travel advisory, which had warned against traveling to Ukraine because of COVID-19 as well as the tensions over Russia, was changed Sunday to carry a stronger warning.
“Do not travel to Ukraine due to the increased threats of Russian military action and COVID-19. Exercise increased caution in Ukraine due to crime and civil unrest. Some areas have increased risk,” the department advised.
The travel advisory for Russia was also changed: “Do not travel to Russia due to ongoing tension along the border with Ukraine, the potential for harassment against U.S. citizens, the embassy’s limited ability to assist U.S. citizens in Russia, COVID-19 and related entry restrictions, terrorism, harassment by Russian government security officials, and the arbitrary enforcement of local law.”
The State Department would not say how many Americans it believes are currently in Ukraine. U.S. citizens are not required to register with embassies when they arrive or plan to stay abroad for extended periods.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem & AP)
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4 Responses
Do Breslov & Uman feel exempt from these dangers? or are they currently cancelling all trips to Uman?
1. At this point, one can assume that any Ukranian (or Russian) Jews who want to come to Israel have already done so. At most, the Israelis will get assimilated Jews who want to move to America but can’t get visas – not the sort of people they want moving to Israel.
2. We’ve had decent relations with both Russia and Ukraine (decent means, compared to what existed in the past, going back to the Communist and Czarist periods). We have little reason, as Jews, to take sides.
3. Anything that makes American look weak and inept hurts Israel’s security by giving a “green light” for them to be more outrageous.
4. Even if limited to invoking the “Trading with the enemy act” against Russia, it will seriously hurt Russian Jews (among other things, it will prohibit sending aid, and make it illegal for American citizens to visit Russia).
Crazy!!!!
“There are about 75,000 people in eastern Ukraine who are eligible for Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return.”
These are mostly NOT Jews!
For Israel to prepare to bring them over is nuts. It will only cause more problems with geirus, intermarriage, kashrus, etc.
“There are about 75,000 people in eastern Ukraine who are eligible for Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return.” How many of them are REALLY Jewish? Is this going to be another Russian non-Jewish immigrant fiasco, for which Kahana wants to introduce a miracle geirus?