Israel denies diplomat expelled by Russia was a spy
An official with Nativ, a group which encourages Jewish immigration to Israel, was asked to leave Moscow.
By Barak Ravid Tags: Russia Israel newsA well-placed source in the Foreign Ministry said Thursday that the Israeli diplomat who was asked to leave Russia did not engage in any espionage-related activity.
The Moscow-based Israeli official, Shmuel Polishuk, is a representative of the Nativ organization, an Israeli liaison agency whose primary activities focus on encouraging Jews in the former Soviet Union to immigrate to Israel.
The Foreign Ministry source said Polishuk's presence in the Russian capital was no longer welcome due to "administrative matters."
The Israeli tabloid Maariv published a report on Thursday claiming that a Nativ representative was expelled from Russia for allegedly engaging in espionage.
Foreign Ministry officials told Haaretz that the incident in question took place last week, when the Nativ official was apprehended by Russian security forces.
The officials said that Israel is holding contacts with the Russian government in an effort to resolve the matter, though they stressed that it is unrelated to espionage. Some officials even hinted that the Israeli diplomat is suspected of criminal activity.
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and most of them engage in all kind of criminal activities... so why singling out Israel?
When did a government ever admit the person being deported was in fact a spy? As they say in my native Bronx, so what else is new?
Immigrated some classified Russian military information to the Israeli government, what?s the big deal?