Lapid said to warn ministers not to help sanctioned Jewish-Russian oligarchs

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid has warned government ministers not to provide assistance to Jewish-Russian billionaires who have been hit by international sanctions, Axios reports.

“You have to be very careful because those guys have connections and they can call you on the phone and ask you for things,” Axios quotes Lapid as saying, citing three people present at a cabinet meeting.

“Don’t commit to anything because it could cause diplomatic damage. Say you can’t help them and give them the number of the foreign ministry,” he says.

His comments come after several Israeli institutions wrote to US Ambassador Tom Nides urging Washington not to impose sanctions on Russian-Israeli billionaire Roman Abramovich. The signatories, including Yad Vashem’s Dani Dayan, Chief Rabbi David Lau, and Sheba Medical Center director-general Prof. Yitshak Kreiss, said such a measure would both be unfair and negatively impact Israel and the Jewish world.