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Crowds Storm Russian Airport Looking for Jews as Flight From Israel Lands

10/29/2023 , , , ,

 


    Video footage captured the chaos at Makhachkala Airport, as an angry mob scoured for passengers from a recently landed plane. Demonstrators could be seen brandishing Palestinian flags and shouting hateful slogans, while authorities temporarily shut down the airport runways in response to the tumult.


Reports indicate that a small number of Israelis and Jews were present at the Dagestan airport, with security measures put in place to ensure their safety and potential evacuation to Moscow as soon as conditions allow. Notably, Dagestan boasts a predominantly Muslim population, with around 3 million residents, while the local Jewish community, comprising approximately 400 families, is contemplating potential relocation due to recent events.


Meduza, an independent news source, reported on an anti-Israel demonstration outside a Khasavyurt hotel, where a hostile crowd demanded the expulsion of Jews following unfounded rumors that the hotel was accommodating Israeli refugees. Alarming messages displayed on the hotel's entrance prohibited the entry of Israeli citizens, or Jews, as tensions escalated.



Israeli authorities responded swiftly to the distressing situation, emphasizing their concern for the safety of Israeli citizens and Jews worldwide. The Israeli Prime Minister's Office and Foreign Ministry called for Russian law enforcement to take decisive action against the perpetrators, urging authorities to quell the incitement and violence targeting Jewish individuals.


The Russian Interior Ministry launched a criminal investigation into the Makhachkala incidents, vowing to apprehend and hold accountable those involved in the riots. Concurrently, "Otro Dagestan," a prominent Telegram channel with thousands of subscribers and known for its anti-Kremlin stance, disseminated alarming calls to expel Jews back to Israel or Birobidzhan, a historical Jewish district in the Russian Far East.


International leaders condemned the violence, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Austria's Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg denouncing the troubling events in Makhachkala. U.S. special antisemitism envoy Deborah Lipstadt urged Russian authorities to safeguard the well-being of Jews, emphasizing the global surge in antisemitic sentiment.


Consequently, Israeli diplomatic missions in several Eastern European countries temporarily suspended their public reception services as a precautionary security measure, leaving potential aliyah applicants without the ability to secure immigration visas or participate in interviews with Nativ, the aliyah agency responsible for determining eligibility. Israel's ambassador to Russia, Alexander Ben Zvi, highlighted the embassy's cautious approach in response to potential public demonstrations outside the embassy premises.

 

 

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