Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “is in the early stages of planning a visit to Kyiv,” CNN reported citing Ukrainian ambassador to Israel Yevgen Kornichuk.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry has also urged the PM to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Foreign Policy Subcommittee of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee met for the second time to discuss Israel’s stance on the Ukraine-Russia war this week.
The committee meeting comes in the wake of last week’s comments from Yevgen Kornichuk, the Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel, slamming Israel’s inaction in aiding Ukraine in its defense against the Russian invasion.
A statement from the Ukrainian embassy in Israel last Sunday lambasted the Jewish state for a “near absence of… humanitarian assistance to Ukraine” in the first half of this year and that the “relevant statements made by the Israeli prime minister have always aimed at justifying Israel’s complete inaction in providing Ukraine with defensive assistance [since the start of the war.]”
MK Gideon Sa’ar, chairman of the subcommittee expressed the need for Israel to take a more visible, active role in aiding Ukraine.
“The issue of the war in Ukraine remains the number one concern for the world, the international community and international public opinion. In the eyes of the Western world, Israel remains on the sidelines of this conflict. There is a need for a renewed assessment of the Israeli policy towards the war in Ukraine,” Sa’ar said.
MK Gideon Sa’ar speaks at a conference of Haaretz newspaper, Zolt Institute and the New Israel Fund in Tel Aviv on February 23, 2023. (credit: TOMER NEUBERG/FLASH90)The MK went on to express that Israel should proceed with implementing, thus far, delayed agreements that have been made with Ukraine. “Prime Minister Netanyahu should travel to Kyiv – it could reduce this rift,” Sa’ar stated. He went on to warn against the Russian-Iranian partnership as a threat to Israel.
MK Ze’ev Elkin, the chairman of the Israel-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Association, echoed Sa’ar’s sentiments, saying that while Israel has been cautious of incurring consequences for taking a firm stance for Ukraine, there may likewise be consequences for not doing so. He went on to lament that Israel is falling behind the Western world in this regard.
“The West continues to raise their level of assistance while we remain stuck in the same mind frame of the first day of the war, this is a grave mistake. Israel must urgently wake up and change its policy towards the Russia-Ukraine war,” Elkin said.
Additionally, the head of the Eurasia Division at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Yuval Fuchs, said that “for the first time publicly, the Foreign Ministry announced that it would recommend to the prime minister that he meet [with] Zelensky.”
Netanyahu’s comments on Ukraine-Russia War
In an interview with the Jerusalem Post last week, Netanyahu commented on the unique situation Israel is in vis-a-vis Russia, alluding to the critical nature of Russia’s cooperation in regard to Israel’s ability to hit militant targets in Syria.
“Our pilots are flying right next to Russian pilots over the skies of Syria,” Netanyahu said. “And I think it’s important that we maintain our freedom of action against Iran’s attempts to place itself militarily on our northern border.”
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