Left-wing members of the Israeli government said Foreign Minister Yarir Lapid’s latest statements in support of Ukraine were not enough and pushed for a direct stance against Russia.
Deputy Economy Minister Yair Golan said Israel needs to maintain careful relations with Russia, but must still condemn its invasion of Ukraine.
“There is a concern of ruining ties and harming the coordination with Russia when it comes to Syria,” Golan noted. “But at this point of its attack on Ukraine, we must condemn it strongly.”
During a cabinet meeting on Monday, Golan, member of the dovish Meretz party, said the stance taken by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's government on the conflict in Ukraine is unprincipled.
On one hand, it refrains from condemning the Russian invasion under the pretext of losing its interests in Syria, while on the other hand it is “shamefully” expelling Ukrainians refugees who have arrived at Ben Gurion Airport, he notted.
He urged the government to alter its “unethical behavior” immediately.
Lapid, for his part, condemned Russia's “unjustified” invasion of Ukraine on a visit to neighboring countries on Sunday, in one of Israel's most clear-cut criticisms of Moscow since war broke out last month.
He said Israel “calls on Russia to stop the shooting and attacks and to solve the problems around the negotiating table,” following a meeting with his Romanian counterpart, Bogdan Aurescu, in Bucharest, as part of a diplomatic tour in Romania and Slovakia.
Israel will not be a route to bypass sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and other western countries, Lapid stressed on Monday during his visit to Slovakia.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is coordinating the issue together with partners including the Bank of Israel, the Finance Ministry, the Economy Ministry, the Airports Authority, the Energy Ministry, and others," he said after meeting Slovak Foreign Minister Ivan Korcok.
Israel will do everything in its power to help mediation efforts to “restore peace. We are working together with our greatest ally, the United States, and our European friends, to prevent the continuation of this tragedy.”
Earlier this week, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba refused to hold a phone call with his Israeli counterpart due to Israel's position on Ukraine's conflict with Russia, a Ukrainian government official said on Sunday.
According to the official, Lapid's bureau tried to plan a call, but that Kuleba has not yet agreed to do so.
“He didn't say 'no,' he said that he was busy,” the source said.
He pointed out that the last phone call between the two foreign ministers took place three months ago, long before the Russian invasion.
