Israel Weighing Condemnation as Russia Escalates Against Ukraine
(Jerusalem Post) Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and Foreign Ministry Director-General Alon Ushpiz weighed what kind of statement to release that would not undermine military coordination with Russia in Syria. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett would ultimately have to approve any statement before it is released.
Earlier this week, Lapid shed light on Israel’s considerations when it comes to speaking out against or joining Western sanctions on Moscow.
Israel has “liberal democratic values,” but is “in a bit of a Baltic situation,” he said.
“We have a kind of border with Russia... the important force inside Syria,” Lapid told the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations mission to Israel.
Israel notifies the Russian Army, the major military force in Syria, before it strikes Iranian targets over the northern border.
In addition, Russia and Ukraine have large Jewish communities, Lapid said, adding that he has to be “more careful than any other foreign minister in the world.”
A Ukrainian source said Kyiv, which views Israel as its ally in the Middle East, is disappointed in the silence from Jerusalem, but it understands the matter is sensitive and may take more time.
Story by LAHAV HARKOV for the Jerusalem Post
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