Today, following remarks made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an interview with the Jerusalem Post, the Ukrainian Embassy in Tel Aviv in posted a statement charging Israel with taking a “pro-Russian” stance in regards to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
The statement, on the embassy’s Twitter account, declares: “The Embassy of Ukraine in Israel notes with regret that the current Israeli government has chosen a path of close cooperation with the Russian Federation. The evidence for this is a series of controversial events that took place from the beginning of 2023 together with the almost complete absence of humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Among these events, it is worth noting a visit by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs delegation to Ukraine in February and a number of interviews the Prime Minister gave to the Israeli media, including the interview with the Jerusalem Post last week.” (https://twitter.com/UKRinIsrael/status/1672879248762351618 )
The statement goes on to criticize Netanyahu for “justifying Israel’s complete lack of action in regards to providing defensive measures to Ukraine during the past year and a half,” and for making “completely fictional and speculative arguments” regarding the possible transfer of Western weaponry from the Ukrainian regime into the hands of the Syrian and Iranian governments.
The statement also alludes to two rounds of high-level political negotiations between the Israeli government and the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including the establishment of an additional Russian diplomatic mission in Jerusalem. The Ukrainian embassy goes on to attack “the blatant disregard for moral boundaries demonstrated by many senior Israeli officials who attended a diplomatic reception hosted by the Russian Embassy in Jerusalem last week.”
