Reuters/Suzanne Plunkett
Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine caused major headaches for its diaspora of billionaires, including steel magnate Roman Abramovich, who was forced to sell his Premier League soccer club, Chelsea, and wound up sanctioned by the European Union and United Kingdom. Now, those penalties are curbing Abramovich’s ability to support Israel during its war with Hamas.
This week, Abramovich, who also holds Israeli citizenship, sued the Israeli bank Mizrahi-Tefahot for blocking more than $2 million in donations to Zaka, a nonprofit group that conducts search and rescue and body recovery missions. Zaka joined him as a plaintiff, according to the Israeli publication Calcalist.
“The issue at hand, stemming from circumstances beyond our control, is the bank’s unreasonable refusal to allow an urgently needed donation to the ZAKA organization, both to prevent organizational collapse and to assist volunteers coping with the difficult mental aftermath of the war,” the lawsuit alleged.