© Wikimedia CommonsJerusalem Christian Quarter.
The church, also known as the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, is a major asset of the Russian Orthodox Church in Jerusalem, located in the heart of the Christian Quarter.
In 2019, former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised Putin the Alexander Nevsky Church in exchange for the release of an Israeli citizen who had been arrested in Moscow for alleged drug smuggling.
Netanyahu later announced that the disputed ownership of the Christian landmark could not be resolved in a court of law, and soon after Israel's land registry commissioner registered the Russian government as the owner of Alexander's Courtyard.
However, after Bennett took office in Tel Aviv, the ruling by the land registry commissioner was handed back to the Supreme Court, which placed the final recognition on hold.
The demand by the Russian president comes at a time when Bennett has been hoping to remain under the Kremlin's good graces despite his government's alignment with NATO amid the Ukraine crisis.
Experts believe that, as a result of the current conflict, transferring control of the Alexander Nevsky Church to Moscow could lead to harsh diplomatic consequences for Israel, turning a small-scale local conflict to an international one.
Soon after reports of Putin's letter surfaced, the Kremlin issued a summons to Israeli ambassador Alexander Ben Zvi to explain harsh comments made by Foreign Minister Yair Lapid regarding Moscow's special military operation in Ukraine.
This is the second time Ben Zvi has been summoned by Russian officials since the start of the military action in Ukraine.
On 25 February Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov met with Ben Zvi and asked why Tel Aviv was expressing support for the "Nazis" in Ukraine.
Show us this letter.....
That might be a good start!