09 January 2019•Update: 09 January 2019
By Elena Teslova
MOSCOW
Russian presidential spokesperson on Wednesday denied claims of the Israeli media which accuse Kremlin of having intentions to interfere in the upcoming Israeli parliamentary elections slated for April 2019.
"Don't read these Israeli media outlets. This [interference in the elections] is out of the question and cannot be on the agenda," Dmitry Peskov told journalists at a conference call.
"Russia did not interfere, does not interfere and does not mean to interfere in any election in any country of the world," he said.
Last month, the Israeli parliament -- Knesset -- voted to dissolve itself ahead of early elections after partners of the ruling coalition, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party, decided to call for snap polls in April.
The decision came after the United Torah Judaism party vowed to withdraw from the coalition if the Knesset voted in favor of a compulsory military service bill targeting ultra-Orthodox men.
Army service is mandatory for all Israeli citizens -- three years for men and two years for women -- with the exception of members of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community.
Ultra-Orthodox Jews account for roughly 10 percent of Israel's population. They tend to live in closed communities and adhere to strict interpretations of Jewish religious law.
