40 Israelis were detained in Moscow – and forced to sign a document against the war

At least 40 Israeli passengers who arrived on a flight from Tel Aviv to Moscow were detained for five hours at Domodedovo Airport in the city, and were required to sign a document stating that they oppose Israel’s war against Iran. During the hours of the delay they were not given access to food, water or toilets.

According to the testimony, the security personnel demanded that the passengers unlock their phones. After they refused, they contented themselves with demanding to turn off the devices. Later, the passengers were invited for personal talks. During the talks, some of them were told that Iran is an ally of Russia, and that “Iran’s enemy is also our enemy.” They were also told that your arrival in Moscow was “undesirable” and that you “came for nothing”.

At the end, the passengers were required to sign “warning” documents that clarify what will happen if they break the law in the country. After the signing they were all released. According to the evidence, at this point the security personnel changed their attitude and became “polite and very careful”.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated: “As soon as the incident became known, under the direction of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gideon Sa’ar, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs acted both with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow and with the Russian Embassy in Israel, and following this intervention the incident was resolved and the entry of the Israelis was approved. It was made clear to the Russians that this conduct is completely unacceptable, and Israel views the incident very seriously.”