It’s been a rocky week for relations between Jerusalem and Kyiv.
It began with the publication of an interview with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in these pages. Asked by Jerusalem Post diplomatic correspondent Lahav Harkov whether Israel plans to shift its policy in favor of Ukraine, Netanyahu said that caution is needed.
“Our pilots are flying right next to Russian pilots over the skies of Syria, 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,” Netanyahu said, referring to the deconfliction mechanism between the IAF and the Russian military in Syria.
In addition, Netanyahu warned that, in light of the Russia-Iran alliance, Israeli systems used in Ukraine could end up in Iranian hands.
On Sunday, Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Yevgen Kornichuk called Netanyahu’s remarks “nonsense,” the embassy lambasted Israel for its “complete inaction in providing Ukraine with defensive assistance” and accused Israel of feigning neutrality to hide a pro-Russia stance.
Optimism about Netanyahu's Ukraine visit
Despite the angry message from Ukraine, Kornichuk met with senior figures in the Prime Minister’s Office this week, and left optimistic that Netanyahu is reconsidering his stance in light of the near-coup in Russia. As such, he may accept Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s long-standing invitation to the prime minister to visit Kyiv.
Also this week, the Foreign Ministry publicly recommended for the first time that Netanyahu meet with Zelensky, and a leading member of his party warned that Israel is putting itself on the wrong side of history.
“The whole world is focused on this war and Israel is still deliberating and dragging its feet,” Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Yuli Edelstein warned. “It is clear to everyone what is the right and moral thing to do, and every day that we sit on the fence, we are isolating ourselves and giving the Iranians more time to get stronger. This must change immediately.”
Siding with Ukraine is not just a matter of the morally right thing to do, to support a country facing an unprovoked foreign invasion – and Israel does give moral support in its statements and UN votes – but it is also right for Jerusalem to do more to help Ukraine when considering Israel’s strategic interests.
As Netanyahu himself has said repeatedly, Israel’s partnerships with the US and other Western allies are long-lasting and stable, not only because of shared interests, but because they are built on shared values of freedom and democracy, as well as a rules-based international order.
Support for Ukraine is viewed by the Biden administration and others as a kind of test of those values. One can question whether that view is justified, but the fact that Ukraine has become a rallying call for much of the West is undeniable. And Israel cannot afford to alienate the West, particularly not the US.
Jerusalem’s friendship with Moscow is less reliable, because it relies on the whims of one person, whose leadership became much shakier with last week’s attempted coup.
When talking about a possible prime ministerial visit to Kyiv, Kornichuk made an interesting point: “The fastest way for Netanyahu to get to the White House is through Kyiv.”
This is a jarring reversal of the usual situation, in which countries try to get closer to Washington by strengthening their relationships with Jerusalem. US President Joe Biden has yet to invite Netanyahu to the White House, and he has publicly said he does not yet plan to. While there is no guarantee that a visit to Kyiv would snag Netanyahu his desired invitation to the White House, it would certainly improve his standing in the eyes of the administration.
The Ukrainians would surely like a visit to come with a pledge of more aid, which could come in various forms. A meeting between Zelensky and Netanyahu could be an opportunity to work out what more Israel can do without endangering its security.
Whether Netanyahu ultimately grants the Ukrainian government’s requests is up to him and Israel’s defense establishment, but he should give Zelensky a fair hearing, face-to-face, in Kyiv.
Mr. Prime Minister: Go to Ukraine.