Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed Israel’s High Court ruling on July 3 rejecting a government cap on the number of Ukrainian refugees allowed to enter the country. The court ruled in favor of a petition against quotas introduced a few months ago by Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked, limiting the number of Ukrainians allowed to enter Israel.

“I commend the decision of the Supreme Court of the State of Israel, which obliges the government of Israel to abolish any additional restrictions on the entry of citizens of Ukraine. The rule of law and respect for human rights is exactly what distinguishes a true, developed democracy!” tweeted Zelenskyy.

Ukraine’s embassy in Israel tweeted in Hebrew, “We thank the Supreme Court for the encouraging decision regarding the entry of Ukrainian citizens. We maintain an efficient dialogue with Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked and expect the minister to help Ukrainian women and children, who have become extremely vulnerable in light of the brutal Russian attack. Our appreciation to lawyer Tomer Varsha, who initiated the petition with great dedication to the rule of law.”

Three years ago, Zelenskyy and then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reached an understanding on entry for Ukrainian citizens. Speaking at a joint press conference with Netanyahu, Zelenskyy had said, “Recently, our countries have been actively cooperating in the field of migration. I am speaking of Israel’s numerous entry denials to Ukrainian citizens. We have agreed to finally resolve this issue.” The result was that Ukrainian nationals no longer needed a pre-requested visa for a visit of up to three months in Israel.