{"id":594246,"date":"2026-08-24T07:30:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T07:30:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/594246\/"},"modified":"2026-08-24T07:30:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T07:30:15","slug":"russia-presses-israel-over-alexander-courtyard-as-jerusalem-ownership-battle-nears-de","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/594246\/","title":{"rendered":"Russia presses Israel over Alexander Courtyard as Jerusalem ownership battle nears de"},"content":{"rendered":"

Moscow is increasing pressure on Israel over the future of the Alexander Courtyard in Jerusalem\u2019s Old City, as Russian Ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov made an unusual visit to the disputed compound on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Viktorov arrived with a large delegation that included nuns who had traveled from Russia, family members and several embassy employees.<\/p>\n

Russian ambassador\u2019s visit to the Alexander Courtyard<\/p>\n

\"\u05d1\u05d9\u05e7\u05d5\u05e8<\/a>\"\u05d1\u05d9\u05e7\u05d5\u05e8<\/p>\n

Russian Ambassador Anatoly Viktorov <\/p>\n

Viktorov made Moscow\u2019s position even clearer in an interview last week with RTVI. \u201cThe courtyard is ours, Russia\u2019s courtyard. There is no need for negotiations on this. We only need to complete the legal procedures,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

His remarks suggest that Moscow considers the ownership question settled and views the remaining dispute as merely a matter of completing the legal process in Israel. Israeli officials, however, stress that the matter is still under professional review and that it is too early to determine whether, or when, the process will be completed.<\/p>\n

Officials familiar with the issue cautioned against interpreting the ambassador\u2019s visit as evidence that a decision has already been made to transfer the compound to Russia. They said that alongside the legal and diplomatic process, Moscow is also waging a public campaign aimed at creating the impression that the outcome is already inevitable and increasing pressure on Israeli decision-makers.<\/p>\n

\"\u05d7\u05e6\u05e8<\/a>\"\u05d7\u05e6\u05e8<\/p>\n

Alexander Courtyard <\/p>\n

(Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)<\/p>\n

Viktorov\u2019s arrival at the Alexander Courtyard with nuns who had traveled especially from Russia may form part of that effort. The visit gives Moscow\u2019s claim a highly visible public dimension and conveys the message that Russia already sees the property as an asset moving toward its control.<\/p>\n

That impression has been reinforced by Ukrainian nuns who currently operate the compound. They said Russian clergy recently asked them, \u201cWhen are you leaving?\u201d a remark they interpreted as a sign that the Russian side believes an Israeli decision may be close.<\/p>\n

In recent years, Moscow has demanded that Israel recognize an Ottoman-era registration in the name of the \u201cGlorious Russian Kingdom\u201d as granting present-day rights to the Russian Federation. The organization that established the compound disputes that claim, arguing that ownership rights belong to it and do not automatically pass to the Russian state.<\/p>\n

\"\u05d1\u05e0\u05d9\u05de\u05d9\u05df<\/a>\"\u05d1\u05e0\u05d9\u05de\u05d9\u05df<\/p>\n

Netanyahu and Putin <\/p>\n

(Photo: AP)<\/p>\n

In 2020, during a Netanyahu government, an order designated the Alexander Courtyard a \u201choly place.\u201d At the same time, Israel moved to renew registration of the property in the name of the Russian Federation. A petition filed by the IOPS halted that process and effectively preserved the status quo.<\/p>\n

Two years later, Russian President Vladimir Putin personally wrote to then-prime minister Naftali Bennett asking him to act to transfer the rights to Russia, underscoring the importance the Kremlin attaches to the issue.<\/p>\n

In late 2024, Netanyahu revived the work of a ministerial team examining the dispute. The team includes Foreign Minister Gideon Sa\u2019ar and Justice Minister Yariv Levin, while the National Security Council and Prime Minister\u2019s Office are coordinating the process. In November 2025, a special interministerial committee held a hearing attended by the parties. Russia participated actively and has since been waiting for the official protocol and an update on the next steps.<\/p>\n

The dispute over the Alexander Courtyard extends beyond the legal question of ownership. A study published last month by Israel\u2019s Institute for National Security Studies, written by Ella Itkin and Arkady Mil-Man, warned that the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church in Israel go far beyond religion.<\/p>\n

According to the study, the Russian Church has historically served as an instrument for advancing Moscow\u2019s diplomatic interests, while ties among the church, the Kremlin and Russian security services have grown stronger under Putin. The researchers also pointed to ties between the IOPS and senior figures in Russia\u2019s political and security establishment.<\/p>\n

The organization is headed by Sergei Stepashin, a former Russian prime minister and former head of the Federal Security Service, or FSB. According to the study, Ambassador Viktorov is also affiliated with the organization.<\/p>\n

The authors argued that, given the close cooperation between the Russian Church and Putin\u2019s government, and because they say Israel is under no legal obligation to transfer the compound to Russia, Israel is unlikely to gain any strategic benefit from doing so. They also cited Moscow\u2019s close relations with Iran and other actors hostile to Israel.<\/p>\n

\"\u05e0\u05e2\u05de\u05d4<\/a>\"\u05e0\u05e2\u05de\u05d4<\/p>\n

Naama Issachar <\/p>\n

(Photo: Yair Sagi)<\/p>\n

The researchers warned that handing over the Alexander Courtyard could give Russia another foothold in the heart of Jerusalem and that a Russian victory in the case could lead to future demands for additional properties linked to Russia\u2019s historical presence in the Holy Land.<\/p>\n

The Alexander Courtyard also became part of public discussion surrounding the case of Naama Issachar, an Israeli woman imprisoned in Russia and released in January 2020. During negotiations for her release, reports suggested that transferring the Alexander Courtyard to Russia was part of understandings between Netanyahu and Putin.<\/p>\n

There is no public evidence that the property transfer was formally included in the deal, although various officials have said over the years that the matter was discussed in talks between Jerusalem and Moscow. Officials familiar with the issue say Putin sees the compound as personally and symbolically important.<\/p>\n

For the Russian president, transferring such a prominent historic Russian property into Moscow\u2019s hands could be presented as a significant diplomatic and symbolic achievement in Jerusalem, particularly at a time of acute confrontation between Russia and the West.<\/p>\n

Against that backdrop, Viktorov\u2019s unusual visit takes on added significance. Formally, the process remains unresolved, and Israel has not announced any decision to transfer the compound to the Russian Federation.<\/p>\n

But the ambassador\u2019s arrival with a large Russian delegation, coupled with the questions reportedly directed at the Ukrainian nuns about when they intend to leave, suggests Moscow wants to convey that, from its perspective, the battle over the Alexander Courtyard has entered its final stage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Moscow is increasing pressure on Israel over the future of the Alexander Courtyard in Jerusalem\u2019s Old City, as…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":594247,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-594246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594246","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=594246"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594246\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/594247"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=594246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=594246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=594246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}