The following report is by The Times of Israel:
Israel’s minister of foreign affairs hasn’t spoken to Lavrov since the war started.
He told The Times of Israel on Tuesday, indicating that Kyiv is incensed that Cohen went ahead with the conversation.
As foreign minister, Yair Lapid did not speak with Lavrov. However, then-prime minister Naftali Bennett remained in touch with Russian President Vladimir Putin throughout the war, even becoming the first foreign leader to meet in person with Putin since the invasion began on February 24.
Lavrov called Cohen on Tuesday to congratulate him on taking up his new post and to discuss “bilateral and regional issues,” in the shadow of Moscow’s ongoing invasion and bombardment of Ukraine.
An Israeli official told The Times of Israel shortly after the Cohen-Lavrov conversation that “there is no change in Israel’s policy” in the wake of speculation that the call, and Cohen’s insistence during his address on Monday that “we will talk less” in public about the war, indicated a shift toward Moscow.
Republican US Senator Lindsey Graham, an outspoken Republican voice in support of aiding Ukraine, was among those who saw Cohen’s remarks as an indication that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government would avoid denouncing Russia publicly over its invasion.
The idea that Israel should speak less about Russia’s criminal invasion of Ukraine is a bit unnerving.
Graham said in a tweet
Korniychuk said that Israel’s position on the Russian invasion is “unclear.”
Unfortunately, we are getting no condemnation of the mass shelling of our civilians in recent months. Israel is unique in terms of our partners. It remains silent.
He said.
Russia has carried out airstrikes on Ukrainian power and water supplies almost weekly since October, increasing the suffering of Ukrainians, while its ground forces struggle to hold ground and advance.
Ukraine’s envoy emphasized that neither Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba nor Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have asked to speak with Cohen.
An Israeli official told The Times of Israel that a diplomat had put in an official request with Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry for a call between Cohen and Kuleba. Ukrainian officials denied receiving any formal request.
The previous government headed by Bennett and then Lapid had refused Ukrainian requests for weapons, but Lapid spoke out repeatedly against the Russian invasion, accusing the Kremlin of carrying out war crimes. The comments won praise in the West but stoked tensions with Moscow, even as Jerusalem attempted to maintain a semblance of neutrality.
Kyiv has said it needs Israel’s help in air defense technology to counter Russia’s ongoing strikes on its civilian infrastructure. Israel has so far refused to provide such aid, out of apparent concern for Russia’s reaction.
During his previous terms in office, Netanyahu touted his close relationship with Putin and insisted that it was critical to maintaining the IDF’s ability to operate freely from the Russian-controlled skies over Syria in order to prevent the entrenchment of Iranian forces on Israel’s northern border. As opposition leader, he initially criticized the previous government for neglecting ties to Russia as Jerusalem took several limited steps in support of Ukraine following the invasion by Putin’s forces in February.
However, Netanyahu changed his tune more recently. In an interview ahead of the November election, he characterized the Bennett-Lapid government’s Ukraine policy — which has seen Israel supply humanitarian aid, operate a field hospital in Ukraine and take in a limited number of largely Jewish refugees while stopping short of providing Kyiv-requested military aid — as “pragmatic.”
Netanyahu even said he would consider arming Ukraine if he returned to the premiership, and told Zelensky after the election that he had not yet determined Israel’s policy. He also assured the Ukrainian president that he would remain in the loop.
Netanyahu said in the October interview that the mediation offer “presumably would come up again” if he returned to power.
Netanyahu and Putin spoke last week in a congratulatory call, which the Israeli prime minister agreed to take while Zelensky was giving an address to a joint session of US Congress in which he implored for additional American aid to push back the Russian invasion.
Netanyahu and Zelensky spoke by phone on Friday. According to a report, Netanyahu pressed the Ukrainian leader to vote against an upcoming UN resolution, but would not commit to any steps when asked about a quid-pro-quo involving transferring defensive aid to intercept Russian strikes.
AUTHOR COMMENTARY
He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears.
Proverbs 26:17
How dare Israel try and mind its own business, not willing to help fund and escalate the conflict further?
Of course, we see this little girly-boy Lindsey Graham foaming at the mouth to continue the war efforts, as this bloodthirsty psychokiller has shouted from the rooftops to fund every single war you can think of.
[7] Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? [8] Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? [9] For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? [10] Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. (1 Corinthians 9:7-10).
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Israel is a pretty small nation that is constantly under attack, and to be quite frank I don’t see how it is Israel’s responsibility to fund the war effort of a nation many many times it’s size. Let the war-hawks in the “West” worry about sending military aid to Ukraine if they want, Israel needs to focus on it’s own safety and borders.
Of course minding our business would be very good advice for us Americans, but unfortunately every since we’ve acquired global adoration for our actions during the Second World War, we’ve seemingly become addicted to being the center of attention and the global government is going to fight tooth and claw to keep us entangled in foreign affairs.
The sad thing is that America doesn’t realize that the apparent global adoration other nations show toward us is a complete lie, most nations just view us as a tool, more specifically a club the global powers can use to crush their enemies, and driftwood to throw into the fire if we ever get too uppity. In other worse, America is just a big useful idiot in the eyes of the world, the only question each nation needs to ask is whither America is their useful idiot or just one being used against them.
Hmmmm. Do you think maybe Israel might just be a little “hesitant” to needlessly mess with the big guy when there is talk that these supposed enemies, Russia and Ukraine, allegedly bombard each other, yet at the same time, the side with the bigger guns still supply the little guy with food to feed their country?
That does not sound like much of a war to me, it sounds like one big joke that Israel evidently doesn’t think is very funny….because it sure looks like they are being set up by both these Jew-hating countries, and the US government is footing the bill.