anchorage = potus last rally
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/israel-fears-russia-measures-against-the-jewish-agency
'Israel' fears Russia measures against the Jewish Agency
The Israeli occupation's Ambassador to Moscow met with the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and asked for updates on the Russian Justice Ministry's probe into the Jewish Agency (Sokhnut), Israeli newspaper Wallah! reported on Wednesday.
The top Russian diplomat clarified that the investigation was not a political move against the occupation. However, Israeli officials fear that it might be a sign of Moscow's dissatisfaction with "Tel Aviv's" foreign policy toward Ukraine, Israeli media said.
"In Israel, there are fears that the Russian justice ministry's investigation will lead to the agency's declaration as a foreign agent and, as a consequence, to the cessation of its Russian activity in the field of Jewish migration to Israel," Walla! said.
Russia expanded its definition of "foreign agents" to include "those who take part in any activity that authorities determine goes against Russia’s national interests or who receive support of any kind, not just money, from abroad," The Moscow Times reported earlier this month.
The Jerusalem Post indicated that "Jewish representatives from the Jewish Agency or representatives of international Jewish organizations may be categorized as 'foreign agents'."
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a week earlier the law on foreign agents that stipulates the creation of a unified register of individuals affiliated with them.
Israeli media reported in early July that the Jewish Agency had been instructed by the Russian government to stop all operations inside the nation.
Promoting and facilitating "aliyah" from Jewish communities across the world is one of the primary objectives of the Jewish Agency. If it cannot operate there, it will be the first time in the last 30 years that "aliyah" attempts have been prohibited in Russia.
The order comes amid growing tension between "Israel" and Russia over "Tel Aviv's" support for Kiev and its leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Sokhnut said they were constantly in contact with the Russian authorities to ensure that their activities comply with the rules of work on Russian soil, and the organization's representative office in Russia is registered as a Russian non-profit organization.
In addition to the Jewish Agency issue between "Israel" and Russia, a dual-citizen Israeli-Ukrainian by the name of Vladimir Kozlovsky was captured in the Lugansk People's Republic as he was fighting among the mercenaries siding with Ukraine. It is evident that his release will not take place easily in light of the lack of trust between "Israel" and Russia.
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/pelosi:-if-blinken-doesnt-label-russia-terrorist-state-congr
Pelosi: If Blinken doesn't label Russia terrorist state, Congress will
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi threatened US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that if his department does not designate Russia as a "state sponsor of terrorism", Congress would go ahead and make that designation itself, Politico reported on Thursday, citing two sources familiar with the matter.
Pelosi's warned her fellow Democrat during a phone conversation earlier in the week, the source said.
The Secretary of State is the only US authority with a mandate to designate states as sponsors of terror. However, some members of Congress believe there are no legal barriers to the body passing a relevant law and designating Russia without authorization from the State Department, Politico said.
"Congress passing legislation is obviously a more complicated route than the secretary making the designation, but it would give the administration the political cover it needs to escalate economic pressure and rhetoric against [Russian President Vladimir] Putin," the outlet quoted a Democratic as saying.
Both the State Department and Pelosi’s office declined to comment, the news outlet said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the US to designate Russia as a "state sponsor of terrorism" in mid-April, appealing to US President Joe Biden to make the designation. The Ukrainian parliament reiterated the call in early May.
The United States did not sanction the Soviet Union under such designation despite Moscow’s support in the 1970s and 1980s for groups that could be considered "terrorist actors", The Washington Post said at the time.
Several US senators proceeded to promptly draft a relevant resolution, but the State Department proved to be reluctant in proceeding with the designation.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in mid-April that officials at his department were looking into the possibility of placing Russia on the list.
"We're taking a close look at the facts. We're taking a close look at the law. Whether it is this authority, whether it's any other authority available to us under the law, we will apply it if it's effective and appropriate," he said. There has been no decision on the matter thus far.
The US views "state sponsors of terrorism" as countries that have systemically supported or dealt with acts of international terrorism on their own or on behalf of government agencies.
As of 2022, the US list includes Cuba, Iran, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and Syria.
Amid reports on the matter, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said earlier today that if Washington was to designate Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, bilateral relations between the two countries would be severely affected.
"We assess the consequences of such a step very negatively," Peskov told reporters when asked how Kremlin would react if US congress labels Russia a state sponsor of terrorism.
This is targeting the Arabs who got citizenship.