- November 25, 2025
- 5:38 pm
- Israel
“The Alexander Compound is planned to be handed over not just to the Russian Federation, but to an organization that blames Israel for the massacre on October 7 and has organized more than 170 exhibitions about the ‘genocide of Palestinians.’ Shocking facts about the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society were uncovered by ‘Details’.”
In the “Details” article from November 25, 2025, journalist Nikita Aronov writes that the issue of transferring the Alexander Compound is not a diplomatic formality or a gesture towards Moscow.
“Today, November 25 (2025 – ed.), the Ministry of Justice board will begin two-day hearings on the transfer of the Alexander Compound in Jerusalem to Russia,” the author writes.
He emphasizes:
The building may be transferred to a structure that directly blames Israel for the events of October 7, organizes permanent exhibitions on the ‘genocide of Palestinians,’ and conducts a systematic anti-Israeli campaign through cultural projects.
This structure is the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society (IOPS).
We have already written about the stories surrounding the Alexander Compound:
November 1, 2024 – Alexander Compound in Jerusalem: Russia is again trying to ‘seize’ the holy land of Israel
January 20, 2023 – The Supreme Court of Israel refused to resolve the issue of rights to the Alexander Compound in favor of the Russian Federation.
November 30, 2024 – ‘The West should treat the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) like the Wagner Group or RT’ – experts, but what about in Israel?
September 3, 2025 – Ukraine against Russia in Jerusalem: after the August deadline, the case of the arrest of Sergei Palace and HaMa’alot parking stalled in the Supreme Court — what’s next?
March 29, 2024 – The Moscow Patriarchate of the ROC officially declared the war in Ukraine ‘holy’ and named its ultimate goal, but what does the ROC represent in Israel?
….
We recommend reading the original publication with facts and links to the author’s sources – https://detaly.co.il/imperatorskoe-propalestinskoe-obshhestvo-komu-hotyat-otdat-istoricheskij-obekt-v-ierusalime/ – we will only briefly outline the main theses.
What Aronov specifically points out: IOPS is not a cultural organization, but a producer of political propaganda
The author of “Details” presents facts that he calls “shocking” and emphasizes:
- more than 170 exhibitions organized by IOPS in recent years are dedicated to the theme of the ‘Palestinian genocide’;
- these exhibitions regularly use plots of destruction, dead children, IDF soldiers in a demonized form;
- the exhibitions and their descriptions, according to the author, form an emotional narrative where Israel is invariably shown as the aggressor.
Aronov emphasizes that IOPS does this systematically and consistently, not episodically.
He writes:
“This is not museum creativity and not cultural diplomacy. This is an ideological machine operating under the Russian flag.”
Accusation of Israel in the massacre on October 7: the key point highlighted by the author
The sharpest part of the publication concerns the position of IOPS on the events of October 7, 2023.
Aronov claims that IOPS representatives published and disseminated materials in which responsibility for the mass killing of Israeli citizens was shifted… onto Israel itself.
The article states that in some IOPS publications, a thesis line was promoted that
“Israel provoked the events of October 7 and is responsible for the escalation.”
The author points out:
“Such statements from an organization claiming a strategic object in Jerusalem look like direct ideological interference in Israeli security.”
The figure of Oleg Fomin as an illustration of the ideological direction of the society
Aronov again reminds about Oleg Fomin (a member of the IOPS council), who was previously expelled from Israel.
He writes that Fomin:
- supported anti-Zionist movements;
- promoted pro-Russian and pro-Palestinian rhetoric;
- was one of the public faces of IOPS outside of Israel.
The author concludes:
“If such people are the face of the organization, it is not surprising that this structure blames Israel for its own tragedies.”
Geopolitical context pointed out by “Details”
Aronov emphasizes that IOPS operates in conjunction with the Russian foreign policy line, and Moscow, according to him:
- strengthens interaction with Iran,
- maintains contact with Hamas,
- conducts information campaigns against Israel and Ukraine simultaneously.
He writes that the transfer of the compound “fits into this line” and will become a “political signal” that goes far beyond cultural diplomacy.
Comment by Anna Zharova
The author quotes the words of Anna Zharova, head of “Israeli Friends of Ukraine,” who stated:
“The transfer of the Alexander Compound to Russia is not a neutral administrative step, but a political gesture that poses a direct risk to Israel’s national security,” warns Anna Zharova, CEO of the organization “Israeli Friends of Ukraine” — The object is located in the most sensitive area of the Old City of Jerusalem, and its transfer to the Russian Federation, a state closely cooperating with Iran and maintaining contacts with Hamas, creates a threat.”
Anna refers to the European experience, where Russian church objects and IOPS branches were used for intelligence and propaganda activities. For example, an investigation by the Russian BBC service demonstrates how the society’s activities led to the expulsion of two Russian diplomats from Greece.
“The Alexander Compound is a symbolic and diplomatic asset, and its transfer brings no benefit to Israel, but strengthens the Kremlin’s positions in the Middle East arena,” continues Anna Zharova. “Such a concession can be perceived as political weakness and used by Russia to strengthen its influence and legitimize itself amid the war in Ukraine.”
Why this particular compound is a strategic point, according to the author
Aronov describes the Alexander Compound as an object located “a few steps from key religious and political points of the Old City” — meaning any change in its status becomes an international factor.
He writes:
“When an organization that blames Israel for its own tragedy on October 7 and promotes 170 exhibitions about the genocide of Palestinians gains access to this place — it is not a matter of culture. It is a matter of security.”
The conclusion drawn by the author
The journalist concludes the article by stating that the decision has not yet been made, the hearings are ongoing, but the very fact of considering such a request he finds alarming:
“To transfer the Alexander Compound to a structure that blames Israel for October 7 is a step whose consequences cannot be explained to either the public or allies.”
We recommend reading the original publication with facts and links to the author’s sources – https://detaly.co.il/imperatorskoe-propalestinskoe-obshhestvo-komu-hotyat-otdat-istoricheskij-obekt-v-ierusalime/
Such details require attention when it comes to Jerusalem, and therefore we continue to follow the development of the story on the pages of NANews — News of Israel | Nikk.Agency.
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Photo – “painting” from the “171st International Art Exhibition ‘Palestine in Our Hearts’ (Cheboksary, RF), – ‘Details’.
