More than a month into the conflict, Israel’s prime minister has still not openly condemned Russia, instead trying to walk a fine line between Israel’s Western allies, including the United States, and its strategic relationship with the Kremlin.
The bipartisan group of lawmakers has expressed surprise and disappointment that Israel, which receives more US foreign aid than any other country in the world, has not sent arms to Ukraine or joined the sanctions regime imposed by the US, Europe and others Has.
“They should step up like the rest of the world. I don’t get it,” Sen. Angus King, a Maine independent, said last week. “I understand that they feel they have a red light and a green light from Russia for attacks on Iranian assets in the Middle East…but that is very disappointing, especially given the tremendous amount of military aid we’ve given them.” “
The US gives Israel $3.8 billion in foreign military aid annually, in addition to half a billion dollars for missile defense. In comparison, the US has provided two military aid packages totaling nearly $1.5 billion to Ukraine since the Russian invasion began.
Senator Ben Cardin, a Maryland Democrat, said he spoke to the US ambassador to Israel about Israel’s response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. While Israel has been “trying to find a route for humanitarian aid” for Ukrainian refugees, Cardin said last week that he believes Israel “could do more.”
“They have a lot of capacity, a lot of military capacity, so they’re a pretty advanced country, we know that, so I think they could do more,” Cardin told CNN.
Israel is the only country in western Ukraine to set up a field hospital. She has also supported United Nations General Assembly resolutions condemning Russia. But Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has attempted to walk a diplomatic tightrope, calling it “responsible and measured action” in a speech in early March.
Bennett has attempted to act as a kind of mediator, speaking multiple times with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, despite other countries warning that Putin is seriously negotiating a ceasefire.
Bennett, standing next to Foreign Secretary Antony Blinken on Sunday, only mentioned the war near the end of his opening address, assuring that Israel “stands firm with the people of Ukraine” without mentioning Russia or condemning Putin for starting the war.
Blinken, on the other hand, began his remarks with efforts to “end the catastrophic suffering that Russian aggression is causing to the people of Ukraine.” He thanked Israel for its field hospital in Ukraine.
During his visit to Israel this weekend, Blinken repeatedly stressed that the US appreciates Israel’s diplomatic efforts and said they have been closely coordinated throughout.
During a press conference with Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, Blinken stressed US appreciation for Israel’s efforts to help Ukraine during the crisis.
“Only speaking with Israel again, first of all, do we greatly appreciate its firm rejection of Russian aggression against Ukraine. We also greatly appreciate the Secretary of State’s commitment to ensuring that Israel is not used as any sort of backdoor for sanctions evasion,” Blinken said.
During a summit meeting in Negev, Israel, with his counterparts from Israel, Morocco, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, Blinken “continued to stress that we don’t see this as just a Ukrainian problem or a European problem, but a global problem, and all of these countries have one.” Interest in advocating for the rules-based order,” a senior State Department official said Monday.
“Everyone agreed that if they had their influence on both sides and also with others in the region, they would use it to push for an end to the war,” the official added.
Israel has good relations with Moscow and Kyiv, and both countries have sizeable Jewish populations. But Israel’s dealings with Russia have an additional dimension that is strategically critical to the Jewish state.
Israel needs Russian approval to conduct attacks on targets in neighboring Syria, mainly Iranian positions or arms shipments to Lebanon.
Israel’s non-interference in Ukraine has allowed the country “not only to protect our interests but also to be useful,” Bennett said in early March.
The statement came days after Israel’s public broadcaster reported that Bennett had turned down a request from Zelenskyy that Israel send arms to Ukraine.
Even ardent supporters of Israel like Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina have wondered why one of America’s closest allies isn’t doing more.
Earlier in March, Graham said on Fox that he would “call Israel” after learning that Israel had “apparently” turned down a request to send anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine. Zelenskyy has repeatedly called on Israel to deploy its Iron Dome short-range missile defense system.
Last weekend, Illinois Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger suggested on Twitter that the billions of dollars the US gives to Israel each year in military aid should depend on its response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“I deeply support our relationship with Israel. But supporting friends doesn’t mean we overlook differences,” he tweeted. Kinzinger called it a “battle between good and evil” in which “everyone has to choose a side”.
“If we don’t want to attack Russia directly, then our leverage lies in the world by uniting in sanctions and aid to the people of Ukraine. This includes all, and Israel has no particular exception. Hopefully they’ll do the right thing,” he said on Twitter.
Bennett traveled to Moscow and had a three-hour meeting with Putin on March 5, after which he made several calls with both Putin and Zelenskyy. Bennett said he was willing to travel to Kyiv to help with mediation efforts after receiving an invitation from Zelensky, but the trip would only go ahead if there was progress in negotiations between the two sides, a source said source familiar with the matter told CNN.
But publicly, Bennett has remained largely silent about Russia. When CNN Keren Hajioff, a spokeswoman for Bennett, asked if Israel would give Zelensky sanctuary – the only Jewish world leader outside of Israel – should he decide to leave Ukraine, the answer was “no comment.” It is a remarkable indication of how far Israel will go to avoid publicly siding with one another. One of Israel’s fundamental laws is the right of every Jew in the world to make “aliyah” and move to Israel, but the prime minister’s office has refused to publicly confirm that it would apply that law to Zelenskyy.
While some US lawmakers are openly frustrated, others are more sympathetic to Israel’s unique position in the Middle East.
“Israel is surrounded by enemies, Iran, Hezbollah from Syria, Gaza, so I just think they have a very delicate geopolitical balance that they need to maintain,” Florida Senator Marco Rubio, the senior Republican member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said CNN. “Many of the strikes they are conducting and things and activities that are related to Iran in that region require conflict resolution with the Russians, so they are in a difficult situation. There are only a few realities to their position, their vulnerability.”
Both Rubio and Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, believe Israel is doing its best in a sticky situation.
“Israel is a strong ally of the United States, and they are surrounded by neighbors in a very dangerous part of the world. It is not Israel’s job to win the war in Ukraine, and I think American politicians are wrong in using the war in Ukraine to attack Israel,” Cruz said.
Senator Jacky Rosen, a Democrat from Nevada, stressed Israel’s humanitarian support during the ongoing crisis.
“They take in a lot of Ukrainian refugees, they do a lot of the humanitarian aid, and we just have to keep talking to them,” Rosen said last week. “The President and Secretary Blinken will do that.”