Moldovan official tells ToI Chisinau alarmed by Israeli accusations that its torpedoing talks over Uman pilgrimage

A senior Moldovan official tells The Times of Israel that the country is “deeply concerned” over comments by Israeli officials accusing the country of torpedoing talks over the upcoming Uman pilgrimage by demanding to keep special equipment Israel purchases to allow Jewish worshippers to fly in for the Rosh Hashana event.

The official also accuses the Israeli government of dragging its feet throughout the talks.

“Despite internal logistical, legal, and political constraints, the Republic of Moldova has acted promptly, transparently, and in good faith, assuming an active role in identifying a feasible solution to facilitate the transit of Hasidic pilgrims,” says the official.

Pilgrims travel through Moldova because there are no direct flights to Ukraine.

The official says that Moldova asked for a letter from Israel to start the negotiation process in March. That letter was only issued in July. Despite the delay, says the official, Recean created a 50-person working from the relevant ministries four days after the letter was received. Israel took another week to put its team together.

The two sides met on August 11, when Israel was informed of the costs of the pilgrimage.

According to Channel 12 news, the two countries had been in negotiations to establish a temporary terminal near Moldova’s Chisinau airport for travelers en route to Ukraine from Israel — as that country’s skies remain closed to civilian flights due to the ongoing war — but talks fizzled out when Moldova demanded to keep the temporary equipment after the pilgrimage ends.

To facilitate the large volume of travelers, Moldova demanded that Israel finance a temporary terminal near Chisinau’s airport, which would have cost around NIS 10 million ($3 million). The terminal itself would cost NIS 8 million ($2.4 million) to erect and be staffed by 90 airport security officers, 24 police officers and 50 translators.

Israel would also have needed to send tents, signage, security cameras, firefighting equipment, air conditioning and toilets — all of which Moldova reportedly demanded to keep for itself after the pilgrimage concluded.

The official denies that account. “Moldova did not request funds for the purchase of equipment but proposed that Israel bring in the security scanners under a temporary import customs regime, exactly as was done in 2023 with equipment brought from Romania,” says the official. “The remaining equipment — tents, signage, toilets, air conditioning, etc. — according to the expense estimates, involved only rental and installation costs, with no permanent purchases.”

The official insists that for legal reasons, the equipment could not be purchased on behalf of another state, though Israel demanded at the end of last month that it be turned over to Israel. Moldova proposed a solution under which any equipment purchased would be used for the next pilgrimage as well and would be used by Moldova in the interim.

“Claims that the Republic of Moldova demanded to keep the equipment for itself are incorrect and gravely distort the reality,” says the official.

“The Republic of Moldova proposed the only legal and tested solution, and the Israeli side’s refusal to accept the temporary import of scanners made the implementation of the project impossible,” continues the official. “The specific conditions laid out were based strictly on the experience of the 2023 pilgrimage transit, which showed that Chisinau International Airport cannot handle such a large passenger flow.”

Moldova is asking Israel to agree to release correspondence around the negotiations, and to correct statements it made about Moldova during the negotiations.

“Moldova remains open to constructive dialogue and reaffirms its commitment to bilateral cooperation with the State of Israel, in full compliance with national legislation and the principles of equitable partnership,” says the official.