Hundreds of Hasidic Jewish pilgrims, who had concentrated along the Belarusian border in an attempt to enter Ukraine, began leaving on Friday after Kiev showed a ban on access to guards opposed to the coronavirus.
At least 1,000 Orthodox Jewish believers camped out this week in a no-man’s-land between the Ukraine-Belarus border crossings ahead of Jewish New Year celebrations that begin Friday and last until Sunday.
Tens of thousands of Hasidic Jews to the central Ukrainian city of Ouman every Jewish new year to make a stop at the tomb of Rabbi Nahman, the founder of the Breslov Hasysidic movement.
The confrontation between pilgrims and armed Ukrainian security caused tensions at the Novi Yarylovychi border post and sparked a diplomatic dispute between Minsk and Kiev.
Ukrainian border guard spokesman Andriy Demchenko said the number of believers waiting to enter Ukraine is declining.
“There are about 700 pilgrims at the Ukrainian checkpoint,” compared to around 1,000 on Thursday, told the AFP.
Demchenko added that he hoped that those still seeking to make Eman understand that “the resolution to prohibit access will not be revised. “
Belarus, who said earlier that pilgrims can make a stopover in the sacred places of Ukraine, showed that some devout believers had given up hope that they would be allowed to cross.
The representative of the Belarusian National Borders Committee, Anton Bychkovskiy, the number of pilgrims at border crossings “was declining”.
– Diplomatic dispute –
The believers, basically Israelis, but also Americans and French, went to Ouman this year even though the governments of Ukraine and Israel suggested to them last month not to do so because of the pandemic.
An Israeli minister on Thursday asked those gathered at the border to return home and respect quarantine regulations when they arrive in Israel.
Kiev closed its borders until the end of September, resulting in an increasing number of coronavirus infections, but pilgrims tried to circumvent restrictions by traveling through Belarus.
Ukrainian border guards said Friday that they had arrested several pilgrims, adding Israeli and U. S. citizens, who had to enter the country illegally from Hungary, Poland and Romania.
Kiev has reported more than 169,000 cases of coronavirus and 3468 deaths. On Thursday, authorities recorded a record increase in infections in one day.
The impasse on the border has annoyed the already strained ties between Kiev and Minsk, which swapped beards for the contested presidential elections in Belarus last month.
A strongman from Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, previously told his officials to negotiate a hall with Ukraine and showed up to supply buses to send devoted believers to holy places in Ukraine.
Kiev, in turn, accused the Belarusian government of giving The False Hasidic pilgrims hope that they would eventually be allowed to enter Ouman.
Ukraine and Israel are willing to increase coronavirus infections. Israel is ready to impose a momentary national blockade on Friday to deal with one of the world’s highest rates of coronavirus infection, despite public outings over the new blow to the economy.
The three-week close from 11:00 GMT begins hours before Rosh Hashaná, the Jewish New Year.
Meanwhile, up to 3,000 Hasidic Jews arrived in Ulaanch for celebrations in Ukraine before the ban, police said.
Security forces reinforced security near the tomb of Rabbi Nachman, where pilgrims gathered.
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