Israel Won’t Join in Sanctions Unless the Ukraine War Expands Further, Expert Says
Jerusalem sees Russian cooperation as vital to its efforts to limit Iran’s foothold in Syria and Lebanon
The US, UK, EU, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Taiwan are just a few of the countries and organizations that have imposed sanctions on Russia due to its invasion of Ukraine. However, some countries, such as Israel, have avoided joining them, at least for the time being.
Lior Haiat, the spokesperson for Israel’s Foreign Ministry, told The Media Line that the sanctions were not an issue Israel was dealing with now. He had no further comment on the topic.
Prof. Vladimir (Ze’ev) Khanin of Bar-Ilan and Ariel universities, an expert on Israel’s ties with the former Soviet republics, told The Media Line that this was due to Jerusalem’s need to maintain a good working relationship with Moscow vis-à-vis Israel’s Syrian border.
“The Israeli interest is that the Russians don’t stand in the way – for them not to be an obstacle to Israel protecting its security interests,” Khanin said.
The Israeli and Russian governments have an understanding wherein Israel is more or less free, in coordination with the Russians, to “do whatever is necessary to limit the Iranian activities [in Syria], and to prevent the transfer of armaments to Hizbullah in Lebanon [through Syrian territory] that could change the rules of the game,” he said.
As long as Russia keeps to this agreement, “Israel is not interested in being a part of the Western coalition that is engaged in an economic war against Russia,” he continued.
Khanin argued that Israeli sanctions would in any case have a very limited impact.
However, he added that Israel was part of the Western world and an American ally, and because of this, Jerusalem was supporting Ukraine with humanitarian aid such as hospitals and humanitarian supplies.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Sunday that Israel was sending 100 tons of humanitarian aid to Ukraine that will arrive in a few days, including water-purification kits, medical equipment, blankets, sleeping bags, and tents.
Khanin said the West understood Israel’s position and how joining the sanction campaign would be a major game-changer for its security. Because of this, “it is unlikely that the US and the European Union will pressure Israel to join the sanctions campaign,” he said.
Khanin also asserted that unless the situation escalated severely, the West wouldn’t expect Israel to join its campaign at the expense of its security. He cited as evidence a historical precedent: When Russia invaded Crimea eight years ago, while Israel was asked to join in the sanctions, no one pressed it to do so.
There are, however, scenarios that could see Israel reverse its “passive” position on the matter, he said.
One such scenario would be if the conflict were to escalate and become a larger war.
“If this becomes the Third World War between the West and Russia together with its allies, Iran and China, Israel will take a side, and it’s pretty clear which side it will take,” Khanin said.
A second scenario, he continued, would be if the Russian leadership were to strike at Western-aligned forces and interests in Syria in order to damage the US and its European allies. “In this case, it would be a game-changer for Israeli-Russian relations and Israel wouldn’t be able to sit on the sidelines.”
A final scenario, he said, would be “if Russian actions differ from the understandings that Jerusalem and Moscow have had in the last few years. In that case, Israel would consider sending more than humanitarian aid to Ukraine. But this is not currently the case.”
While Bennett is keen to avoid offending Russian President Vladimir Putin, Israel is nevertheless taking a stance on the war.
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, in a briefing on Monday, announced that Israel would support the UN General Assembly resolution condemning Russia. Israel has a “moral responsibility” to condemn Russia and provide humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, he said, adding that “Israel was and is on the right side of history.”
Khanin says Moscow understands the Israeli diplomatic action perfectly well: “It is not insulted by Israel condemning the Russian activities in Ukraine and it still understands Israeli security interests in the Middle East.”
Still, nothing is permanent, the professor adds: “The situation is changing every day, and every hour, and no one knows what could happen tomorrow.”
