Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, March 7, 2022, Jerusalem. MENAKHEM KAHANA / AFP
Never before has an Israeli prime minister taken on such a responsibility. Traveling to the Kremlin on Saturday, March 5 to talk to Vladimir Putin for three hours about the war he is waging in Ukraine, Naftali Bennet left diplomats and observers in Israel speechless. He has a historic opportunity for his country, an unrecognized nuclear power, a small ally of Washington in the Middle East, to talk to the world about something other than himself.
Nothing has leaked from the bottom of this full Shabbat mediation by this far-right leader, ex-Special Forces, ex-entrepreneur and defense secretary less than a year in office. Mr. Bennett conveyed or clarified the messages, did he seek to keep the channel open for discussion in order to achieve a ceasefire? In the Council of Ministers on Sunday, he gave himself “little chance of success” but spoke of a “moral duty”.
This quasi-neophyte in the field of international relations was content to describe the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a divine catastrophe, a natural disaster without causes and responsible persons. His caution, constant and unique in the Western arena, has recently drawn criticism from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as in Israel.
On Sunday, Ukraine’s ambassador to his country, Yevhen Korniychuk, expressed his “gratitude.” According to him, Mr. Bennett followed his country’s “friendly offer” and, after several months of contact, became an intercessor. And with Mr. Zelensky, whom he refused to put up arms before the conflict, and with Mr. Putin, who before the war refused a previous offer of mediation. “Israel is the only democratic state that has excellent relations with both sides. Minsk [capitale biélorusse où s’est ouverte en 2015 une séquence diplomatique censée mettre fin au conflit dans le Donbass, enterrée par l’invasion russe] can no longer be a place [de négociations] for us (…). We are looking for another place, perhaps Jerusalem, ”the diplomat wants to believe.
“Warmness”
The guarantors of the Minsk agreements, including France, are today, as it were, “burnt” in Moscow. However, Mr. Bennett is trying to present his initiative as an action taken in conjunction with Western democracies. According to the Walla website, he, in particular, informed American national security adviser Jake Sullivan about his departure on Friday. It’s hard to imagine Washington begging for his attempt. The White House appears to be too busy seeking the broadest possible support for sanctions against Moscow.
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