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29 December 2015 17:55

Comment by the Information and Press Department on West Bank settlement construction plans

2558-29-12-2015

The Israeli authorities are reviewing a project to build about 8,300 housing units between East Jerusalem and the Ma’ale-Adumim settlement area (the so-called E1 zone) on the Israeli-occupied West Bank, according to the media.

There are serious concerns about these reports in Moscow. We note that, in 2013, the international community had already voiced justified criticism of plans to build settlements in the E1 zone.

This project would basically cut off East Jerusalem from the main Palestine territories and split the West Bank into isolated enclaves. It would create an obvious and substantial obstacle to a mutually acceptable resolution of issues regarding the final status of the Palestinian territories. In this connection, we reaffirm the need to refrain from any unilateral steps that might exacerbate the situation in Israeli-Palestinian relations still further and put in doubt the two-state approach for resolving the Palestinian problem that has been approved by the international community, including Israel.

December 29, 2015

Bilateral relations

RUSSIA-ISRAEL RELATIONS

Diplomatic relations between the USSR and Israel were established in May 1948. In June 1967, diplomatic relations were severed. Consular relations were resumed in 1987; on October 18, 1991, relations were restored in full. In December 1991, an Israeli embassy was opened in Moscow and a Russian embassy in Tel Aviv.

An important factor in bilateral relations is Israel’s 1.5-million-strong community of expatriates from the former USSR.

Currently the two countries maintain an active political dialogue. There are regular political consultations and delegation exchanges at different levels. Events of importance in this context were President Vladimir Putin’s visits to Israel in April 2005 and June 2012.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has visited Russia ten times: September 2009, February 2010, March 2011, May and November 2013, September 2015, April and June 2016, and March and August 2017.

On November 30, 2015, President Vladimir Putin held talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Paris.

In March 2016, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin paid an official visit to Russia, during which he met with President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.

Former Israeli President Shimon Peres visited Russia in August 2009, May 2010, November 2012, and June 2015.

Dmitry Medvedev was on a working visit to Israel on November 10-11, 2016.

Patriarch Kirill’s historic visit to the Holy Land (Israel, Palestine and Jordan) on November 9-14, 2012, contributed to the spiritual ties between the two countries.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited Israel in September 2004, October 2005, September 2006, June 2007, March 2008, February 2009, and June 2010 as part of working tours of the Middle East.

State Duma Chairman Sergey Naryshkin was on an official visit to Israel in February 2014.

A group of Israeli MP’s led by Chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee Zeev Elkin visited Moscow in October 2014.

On February 2-4, 2016, Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko was on an official visit to Israel. She met with President Reuven Rivlin and Speaker of the Knesset Yoel Edelstein. An Agreement on Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation was signed.

In January 2015, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman was in Russia on a working visit and met with Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. On February 18, 2017, Avigdor Lieberman, now Defence Minister, had talks with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the 53^rd edition of the Munich Security Conference.

On January 23, 2017, Avigdor Lieberman met in Israel with Russian Emergencies Minister Vladimir Puchkov.

On June 27-30, 2017, Knesset Speaker Yoel Edelstein visited Moscow, where he met with Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and members of the Group for Federation Council-Knesset Cooperation. He also addressed a plenary meeting of the Federation Council.

The following Russia-Israel intergovernmental agreements are in effect: On Air Traffic (1993); On Trade and Economic Cooperation (1994); On Scientific and Technological Cooperation (1994); On Cooperation in the Field of Agriculture and Associated Industries (1994); On Cooperation in the Field of Healthcare and Medical Science (1994); On Cooperation in the Field of Culture and Education (1994); On Cooperation in the Field of Tourism (1994); Convention on Prevention of Double Taxation and Tax Evasion with Respect to Income Taxes (1994); On Cooperation in the Field of Postal and Electronic Communications (1995); On the Establishment and Functioning of Cultural Centres (1996); On Cooperation and Mutual Assistance in Customs Affairs (1997); On Anti-Crime Cooperation (1997); On Special Measures to Ensure Civil Aviation Safety (1997); On Timeframes and the Procedure for Issuing Visas to Holders of Diplomatic and Service Passports (2002); On Cooperation in the Area of Maritime Transport (2003); On Military-Technical Cooperation in the Interests of Third Countries (2005); On Suspending Visa Requirements during Reciprocal Travel by Citizens of the Russian Federation and the State of Israel (2008); On Cooperation in the Industrial Research Area (2010); On Cooperation in the Field of Peaceful exploration and Use of Outer Space (2011).

The following bilateral agreements were signed during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s official visit to Russia on June 6-8, 2016: Treaty between the Russian Federation and the State of Israel on Cooperation in the Social Security Area; Protocol on the Exchange of Statistical Data regarding Mutual Trade in Goods; Joint Statement by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the State of Israel; Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Introducing Natural Gas Vehicle Fuel in Transport Systems.

The following bilateral agreements were signed during Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev’s working visit to Israel on November 10-11, 2016: Protocol on Preliminary Information Exchanges on Goods and Transport Vehicles Traveling between the Russian Federation and the State of Israel; Joint Declaration of Intent Concerning the Development of Interaction in the Field of Construction, Housing and Utilities between the Ministry of Construction, Housing and Utilities of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Housing and Construction, of the State of Israel; Twin City Agreement between Skolkovo Innovation Centre and the City of Yokneam Illit; Roadmap for Technical Cooperation in the Agricultural Sphere between the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the State of Israel.

Israel ranks 40^th among Russia’s foreign trade partners with a share of 0.4 percent.

There are notable achievements in the space exploration area, with Russian carrier rockets putting in orbit eight Israeli satellites since 1995.

In June 1995, the Mixed Russian-Israeli Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation held its first meeting in Moscow. The current Russian Co-Chair of the commission is Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich; the Israeli Co-Chair is Minister of Environmental Protection and Jerusalem Affairs Zeev Elkin.

On September 26-28, Moscow hosted the 14^th meeting of the commission. It was co-chaired by Arkady Dvorkovich and Zeev Elkin. The parties discussed the main vectors in trade and economic cooperation with an emphasis on removing existing trade barriers and an exponential increase in the number of joint projects in various economic areas.

Cultural ties have been developing dynamically. In 2016, Russians made 298,000 tourist trips to Israel (302,000 in 2015), including as pilgrims to Christian holy sites. The number of Israeli tourists visiting Russia grew to 178,000 in 2016 (162,000 in 2015).

Cultural centres operate in Moscow and Tel Aviv.

In June 2012, the Monument to Victory over Nazi Germany was opened in the city of Netanya. In November 2012, the Russian Jewish Museum and Tolerance Centre opened in Moscow.

the State of Israel

THE STATE OF ISRAEL

General information: The State of Israel was proclaimed on May 14, 1948, under UN General Assembly Resolution 181 (11) of November 29, 1947, on dividing Palestine into two states, Jewish and Arab.

Area: 14,100 square kilometres within the borders stipulated by the division plan and 20,700 square kilometres inclusive of some areas intended for an Arab Palestinian state, which were annexed following the Arab-Israeli war of 1948-1949. During the so-called Six-Day War in June 1967, Israel occupied new Arab territories. After the Sinai Peninsula was restored to Egypt in 1982 and some Palestinian territories in the Gaza Strip and on the West Bank of the Jordan River (West Bank) were transferred to the Palestinian National Administration established under the Palestinian-Israeli agreements reached in 1993-1995, Israel continued to hold the greater part of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Syrian Golan Heights.

Population: around 8.4 million (2017), of whom 6.87 million (79.2 percent) are Jews and 1.77 million (20.4 percent) are Arabs. Other ethnic groups number 360,000. There are 1.5 million Russian speakers.

Official languages: Hebrew and Arabic. Other widely spoken languages are English and Russian.

Religion: Judaism is the official religion, although the government and the rabbinate signed a status agreement to delimit the jurisdictions of secular and religious institutions as the bodies of power were being established in Israel.

Capital: In January 1950, the Knesset proclaimed West Jerusalem the capital of Israel. West Jerusalem came under Israel’s control under the 1949 General Armistice Agreement between Israel and Jordan. Israel passed legislation to include East Jerusalem in its territory and merged it with West Jerusalem in June 1967 immediately after the end of the Arab-Israeli war. On July 30, 1980, the Knesset proclaimed a “reunited” Jerusalem the “eternal and indivisible” capital of Israel. This move was condemned by the UN Security Council (Resolution 478 of August 20, 1980).

The majority of states, including Russia and other permanent members of the UN Security Council, are withholding official recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital (all foreign embassies are located in Tel Aviv).

In April 2017, the Foreign Ministry of Russia made an official statement in support of the two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The statement stressed that it was imperative to create a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with its capital in East Jerusalem. Simultaneously it was noted that thereby Russia recognised West Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel.

Political system: Israel is a parliamentary republic. The country has no constitution, instead relying on the main laws of the state and certain legislative acts.

The Supreme legislative authority: The Knesset, a unicameral parliament consisting of 120 deputies elected for four years. The current Speaker of the Knesset is Yuli Edelstein.

Head of State: The President is elected by the Knesset for seven years and has representative powers. Reuven Rivlin was elected to the post on June 10, 2014. His inauguration took place on July 24, 2014.

The country is run by the government whose main decisions are subject to Knesset approval. Between 1996 and 2001, the prime minister was elected by direct general vote. On March 7, 2001, the Knesset restored the former election system, where the prime minister was appointed based on the outcome of parliamentary elections. The Israeli president holds consultations with the leaders of parties elected to the Knesset and instructs the party leader whose candidacy was supported by the majority of deputies to form the government. The new government is approved by the Knesset. Since no Israeli party has gained absolute parliamentary majority (61 seats in the Knesset) to date, all cabinets have been coalitional.

Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu has been prime minister since 2009.

Political parties: Israel has a multi-party system. The main political parties are Likud, Israel Our Home (Yisrael Beiteinu), the Labour Party (Avoda), SHAS, and Yesh Atid.

The largest trade union association is the General Organisation of Workers in Israel (Histadrut) which owns banks, businesses, insurance companies, etc.

Economy: Israel is a world leader in innovation, including agriculture technology and biotechnologies, diamond cutting, software, communications and security systems, military equipment, and pharmaceuticals. In addition, the country has a metal industry, machine-building industry, electrical engineering industry, chemical industry and water industry.

Though coping with the 2007-2008 world economic crisis better than the leading Western countries, Israel’s export-oriented economy still felt the consequences of the global economic downturn. An upward trend emerged in 2016, with the Israeli GDP growing by 4 percent to $308 billion (against 2.5 percent in 2015). The per capita GDP growth was 2 percent, reaching $36,110. The number of tourists grew by 4 percent to 2,901,071 visitors in 2016. Unemployment stands at 3.8 percent. In 2016, Israel exported $95 billion worth of goods and services (without diamonds), while imports totaled $86 billion. As of December 2016, its current account of the balance of payments was $12.4 billion.

Israel is a member of the WTO, OECD, IMF, and IBRD.

Weapon sales figure importantly in Israeli exports. Israel is the fifth largest arms exporter in the world with revenues running into $4-4.5 billion a year.

Foreign policy: The Netanyahu government prioritises preservation and development of close allied relations with the United States, mobilisation of international efforts against the “Iranian nuclear threat,” and promotion of an Arab-Israeli settlement on Israeli terms. Israel is closely watching the situation in and around Syria. It welcomed Damascus’ decision to eliminate its chemical weapons and means of production under international control. It is engaged in dynamically developing cooperation with India, Japan, China and South Korea.

Russia-Israel relations: The bilateral political dialogue continues to develop dynamically thanks to regular top- and high-level contact as well as contact between parliaments, security councils, foreign ministries and other related ministries. Simultaneously, an emphasis is placed on diversifying trade and economic ties and expanding cultural ties.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin visited Israel in April 2005 and June 2012.

In November 2016, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev paid a working visit to Israel.

Benjamin Netanyahu visited Russia ten times: September 2009, February 2010, March 2011, May and November 2013, September 2015, April and June 2016, March and August 2017.

Shimon Peres visited Russia three times as President of Israel: August 2009, May 2010, and November 2012. President Reuven Rivlin paid an official visit to Russia in March 2016, during which he met with President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.

Diplomatic and consular missions of Russia

Embassy of Russia in Tel Aviv
Consular Division of the Russian Embassy in Tel Aviv
Consulate General of Russia in Haifa

Israel

Embassy of Russia in Tel Aviv

Address :: 6357308, HaYarkon St 120, Tel Aviv-Yafo

: -
: -

Phone :: +972 3 522 67 36
+972 3 522-67-44
Hotline :: +972 54 962 23 41
Fax: +972 3 522-67-13
E-mail: embassy.israel@mid.ru
Web: https://israel.mid.ru/; Twitter; Facebook; Telegram; Vkontakte

Israel

Consular Division of the Russian Embassy in Tel Aviv

Address :: 6801294, Prof. Yehezkel Kaufman St 2, 3-rd floor, Tel Aviv-Yafo

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Phone :: +972 73 224 15 93
Hotline :: +972 549 622-341
Fax: +972 3 510-10-93
E-mail: cons.israel@mid.ru
Web: https://israel.mid.ru

Israel

Consulate General of Russia in Haifa

Address :: HaParsim str., 24, Haifa, 31000, Israel, P.O.B. 306

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Phone :: +972 4 866-75-51; +972 4 866-75-56
Hotline :: +972 52 957-31-21
Fax: +972 4 866-75-53
E-mail: gkrussia@yandex.ru
Web: https://haifa.mid.ru/; Twitter; Telegram

Representative offices in Russia

Embassy of the State of Israel to the Russian Federation

Israel

Embassy of the State of Israel to the Russian Federation

Address:: 119017, г. Москва, ул. Б. Ордынка, 56

Phone:: +7 495 660-27-00; +7 495 660-27-04; +7 495 660-27-03; +7 495 660-27-28; +7 495 660-27-28
Fax: +7 495 660-27-68, +7 495 660-27-88
Web: http://embassies.gov.il/moscow/Pages/default.aspx

the State of Israel

Comment by the Information and Press Department on West Bank settlement construction plans

General Information

Diplomatic and consular missions of Russia

Embassy of Russia in Tel Aviv

Consular Division of the Russian Embassy in Tel Aviv

Consulate General of Russia in Haifa

Representative offices in Russia

Embassy of the State of Israel to the Russian Federation

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