Russian President Vladimir Putin is demanding that Israel immediately transfer ownership of the Alexander Nevsky Church in Jerusalem to Russia.
His demand came in a letter delivered to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Sunday, according to The Jerusalem Post.
The church is also known as the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity and the Alexander Courtyard. It is in the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City.
The Post reported that former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had promised Putin in 2020 that Russia could take over the landmark. It was one of the moves aimed at helping free Naama Issachar, an Israeli-American woman imprisoned in Russia on drug charges.
But an Israeli judge tossed out the transfer of ownership in March. The Orthodox Palestine Society of the Holy Land had sued claiming the ownership transfer was political. However, the Israeli government said the Russian Federation is the rightful successor of the Russian Imperial government, which was the registered owner during Ottoman Empire rule
The judge in the case said Bennett would have to make the decision since it is a diplomatic matter.
The issue of the church land came as Russia has blasted Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid over Israel's decision to join with other nations to suspend Russia from the U.N. Human Rights Council over the invasion of Ukraine, The Times of Israel reported.
The Russian Foreign Ministry accused Lapid of an "anti-Russian attack" with his comments after the U.N. General Assembly vote.
Now, transferring ownership of the church land could spark diplomatic problems for Israel since its Western allies have been hitting Russia with sanctions as a result of the Ukraine invasion, the Post noted.
According to Ynet News, former Russian Prime Minister Sergei Stepashin, who heads the association in charge of Russian assets in the Middle East, said: "Now we are fighting for the return of the compound, and it is very difficult. We were almost there, we worked for five years, we found all the historical documents, but the situation with Ukraine occurred, and Israel behaved as it often does — playing with both sides, playing ping pong with everyone."
