From the start of the war, thousands of Israelis demonstrated in support of Ukraine. But if the population chose its camp, the Prime Minister at the time Naftali Bennett was much more cautious. So have Israeli politicians, who have been silent about Russia and its President Vladimir Putin.
According to Emmanuel Navon, professor of international relations at Tel Aviv University, Israel has found itself in a complex situation since the start of the war. “Israel is an ally of the United States, but Israel has interests vis-à-vis Russia, in particular everything concerning the Israeli air strikes in Syria against Iran, which obviously depend very much on the goodwill of the Russians who control Syrian airspace.” This explains, according to Emmanuel Navon, why Israel condemned “very clearly” Russia and sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine, while avoiding a frontal attack on Russian President Vladimir Putin. Israel did not deliver the advanced weapons that kyiv demanded of it. On March 5, 2022, Nafali Bennett even went to Moscow in the hope of mediating in this conflict. His diplomatic dream of a Russian-Ukrainian peace summit in Jerusalem has not materialized.
On June 15, Israel became a major energy player when it signed a gas agreement with Egypt and the European Union. “Israel’s energy sources are enormous”asserts Emmanuel Navon. Even though “Israel does not have the capacity to replace Russia”the teacher believes that “the European policy of diversifying its imports of natural gas and minimizing its dependence on Russia pushes it to Israel, in the Middle East, and to sign an agreement for an export project of natural gas from Israel to the European Union by liquefaction, and there we actually use the gas liquefaction stations of Egypt”.
“The war in Ukraine, in a way, indirectly contributed to relations between Israel and the European Union.”
Emmanuel Navon is Professor of International Relations at Tel Aviv University,at franceinfo
Russia marked its distance from Israel: last May, Vladimir Putin addressed his support to the Palestinian people during the violence on the esplanade of the Mosques in Jerusalem. And a delegation from Hamas, a movement classified as terrorist by Israel, was received in Moscow. In Israel, nearly 20% of the 9 million inhabitants are from the former USSR, mostly from Ukraine and Russia. A non-negligible electorate in a country in the electoral campaign and where the majorities are always very narrow.