Israel Offers to Mediate Between Moscow and Kyiv

“The more natural intermediaries would be European countries,’ professor says

Israel offered its services as a mediator in Russia’s conflict with Ukraine, the Kremlin said on Sunday.

The offer came during a phone call between Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and President Vladimir Putin that focused on the dispute between the former Soviet republics.

The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment beyond its official statement saying the two men leaders by telephone.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lior Haiat told The Media Line he couldn’t comment on the phone call or its contents, but that Israel would back political efforts to end the conflict.

“Israel supports a diplomatic solution for the conflict, and we will be happy to be part of such a solution,” he said.

On Saturday, the Ukrainian Embassy in Tel Aviv called for volunteers to join in the war and said it had begun compiling a list of people “who wish to participate in combat actions against the Russian aggressor.”

Ukraine has reportedly established a military unit based on volunteers from abroad.

Haiat said Israel issued an official position on the situation in Ukraine.

“Israel issued a travel warning for all Israeli citizens to leave Ukraine and asking Israeli citizens not to go there.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has asked Israel, Turkey, and Azerbaijan to mediate talks with Russia, and rejected Belarus, which Putin suggested play the role, because the Russian military is using Belarus as a base in its invasion.

Prof. Jonathan Rynhold of Bar-Ilan University’s Department of Political Studies says he’s not surprised.

“It made sense he [Zelenskyy] would do that,” Rynhold told The Media Line. “He picked countries that have a working relationship with Russia, and particularly in the case of Israel are allied very closely with the West.”

However, he doesn’t expect Israel to take a major role in initiating communication channels between the two parties to the conflict.

“Israel has zero leverage. It can pass a message but beyond that nothing. Israel’s main concern is that Russia not block it from dealing with Iran in Syria,” he said.

“Israel has to balance its global interests, starting with the United States,” Rynhold continued.

Despite that, Israel desperately needs Russia’s acquiescence to be able to continue its military operations inside Syria, and that only can happen if it doesn’t upset Putin.

“The more natural intermediaries would be European countries,” Rynhold said.

But he adds that it is “very difficult” for Israel to balance this “delicate act” while keeping an even distance from both Great Powers and without looking that it’s siding with one over the other.

“Israel will not take the lead in Western sanctions, but if asked to by the US will probably participate in them if that is a strong demand by Washington,” the professor said.

He argues that the Russians don’t want to see the Iranians establish a strong foothold in Syria, and therefore, they will not prevent the Israelis from conducting operations there.

Rynhold said Israel “will not send any troops to Ukraine,” but that volunteers are a different issue. “There might be a question of whether Jewish immigrants [to Israel] from Ukraine might go and fight there,” but the chances of any meaningful number doing so are “zero,” he added.

“I think that major countries will be very wary of allowing their citizens to do that because NATO doesn’t want to be dragged into a military conflict directly.”

On Sunday, the Portuguese Defense Ministry announced that it will send military equipment to Ukraine, joining other Western nations in dispatching help to the Eastern European country.

Greece followed suit the same day, saying it would send “defense equipment” to Ukraine through Poland.

Germany, in a major policy shift away from its ban on the export of arms to conflict zones, said on Saturday its army would transfer 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger-class surface-to-air missiles to Ukraine.

The Netherlands, France, Belgium, and the Czech Republic have also pledged various types of weaponry, while the United States is providing Ukraine with $350 million in additional military equipment.