By Le Figaro with AFP
Posted 2 hours ago, updated 8 minutes ago
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu during an inauguration ceremony after the Adani Group’s purchase of the port of Haifa at the port of Haifa, Israel January 31, 2023. AMIR COHEN/ Portal
Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday January 31 that his country was considering military aid to Ukraine while offering to mediate in the conflict between Kyiv and Moscow.
“Well, I’m definitely looking into that,” the prime minister said in an interview with US broadcaster CNN when asked if Israel plans to offer Ukraine assistance, such as with its Iron Dome air defense system.
transfer and ammunition
Binyamin Netanyahu has so far failed to rally his support to Ukraine in order to spare Russia, which controls Syrian airspace alongside Israel and normally turns a blind eye to Jewish state operations against Iran.
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He confirmed that the United States had transferred artillery ammunition to Ukraine that had previously been stored in Israel, and implied that the Jewish state was acting on his side to prevent Iran from producing weapons for Russia.
“The United States just took a huge chunk of ammunition from Israel and passed it on to Ukraine. Israel, frankly, also opposes Iran’s production of weapons used against Ukraine by means that I will not elaborate on here,” the prime minister said. Ukrainian and Western officials have accused Iran of supplying drones to Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, which Tehran denies.
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informal intermediary
Binyamin Netanyahu said he was asked to act as an unofficial mediator after Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year but didn’t comply because he was in the opposition at the time.
He added that he was ready to intervene as a mediator if the warring parties and the United States asked him to do so. “I’ve been here long enough to know that there has to be the right time and the right circumstances. If they show up, I’ll definitely consider it,” he said.
Encouragement from the USA
The comments come after a visit to the Middle East by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who called for calm after an outbreak of violence between Israel and the Palestinians and encouraged Israel to support Ukraine.
Benyamin Netanyahu’s predecessor, Naftali Bennett, made a surprise visit to Moscow in March to offer to mediate with Vladimir Putin. He conveyed Vladimir Putin’s messages to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but did not organize direct negotiations.