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Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett spoke separately with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The Israeli premier first had a call with the latter about “Russian aggression,” according to a subsequent tweet by the Ukrainian leader. According to the Kremlin, Bennett then initiated a call with Putin, who reportedly emphasized that the need to take into account Moscow’s “security interests” was among the key conditions for ending the conflict.
While Israel has expressed support for Ukraine and provided humanitarian aid to the country, Jerusalem has maintained a somewhat nuanced approach, especially as regards its relatively muted criticism of Russia. A key Israeli security objective is to maintain freedom of action in Syria — where Russia remains the dominant power — against Iranian military targets.
Nevertheless, Israel on Wednesday voted in favor of a United Nations General Assembly resolution that denounced Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
According to reports, Bennett has offered to mediate peace talks between both warring states.
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Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett believes that negotiations between world powers and Iran regarding the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program have reached a critical juncture, and reiterated that the Jewish state would not be bound by any agreement reached during ongoing talks in Austria.
Speaking at a ceremony attended by senior security officials, Bennett asserted that, “While one of our eyes—like the whole world—is on Kyiv, [Ukraine], the other eye watches, tensely, at what is happening west of there, in Vienna.”
For Israel, the premier added, “there is no such thing as ‘sunset'” clauses, a reference to the expiration dates on restrictions related to Iran’s atomic activities outlined in the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
“The sun will not set on Israel’s security and the well-being of its citizens,” Bennett stressed.
Speaking directly to members of Israel’s security establishment, Bennett made clear that the Iranian nuclear threat was “a task you have been dealing with for many years, but we seem to be approaching the moment of truth.… As far as I am concerned, you—together with the IDF, of course—are the address. The mission is on you.”
Bennett nevertheless ended his address on an optimistic note, saying: “Precisely when it seems that the world is going in worrying directions, the State of Israel is on a straight path and ascending… Therein lies our true resilience, there lies our strength. And we will need it.”
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Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas called on Christians to fight against Israel during a meeting in Ramallah with Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem. The comments weres aired on official Palestinian TV and brought to light by the NGO Palestinian Media Watch.
“We know that the prime Zionist goal is emptying this land of its Christians and Muslims,” Abbas reportedly said, adding: “They [Jews] don’t want anyone here other than themselves… The Christian is the brother of the Muslim. They celebrate together, suffer together, live together, work together and fight together against their enemy, because we have been the owners of this land since this land’s existence.”
“We will remain in this land forever,” Abbas continued, “while the attackers [Jews] have no place in Jerusalem and no place here.”
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Israeli citizens are one step closer to not requiring visas to enter the United States after Jerusalem and Washington signed an information-sharing agreement that could see the Jewish state added to the US Visa Waiver Program (USVWP).
Public Security Minister Omer Bar-Lev and US Department of Homeland Security Under Secretary for Policy Robert Silvers signed the accord in the presence of Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked. Any country interested in joining the USVWP must provide the US with access to criminal records and the agreement will allow both sides to file up to 1,000 inquiries pertaining to the criminal backgrounds of citizens seeking to cross either country’s borders.
However, the USVWP does not grant the US full and unlimited access to Israel’s criminal databases and vice-versa.
Israel would become the 40th member of the USVWP and US President Joe Biden told Prime Minister Naftali Bennett last year that he wanted to see a deal forged in the near future. Being included in the Visa Waiver Program would enable all Israelis to visit the United States for up to 90 days for tourism or business.
Currently, Israelis seeking to travel to the US, even briefly, must go through a sometimes lengthy visa application process.
Recommended Reading
- The IDF is Studying the War in Ukraine (Anna Ahronheim, Jerusalem Post)
- Doctors in Israel Care For Ukrainians 2,000 KM Away, as Tech Shrinks World (Nathan Jeffay, Times of Israel)
- Israel Helps Rescue 100 Jewish Orphans From Ukraine (Benjamin Kerstein, Algemeiner)
- Palestinian Envoy Ignores the Plight of Ukraine at the UN Human Rights Council (Elder of Ziyon, Algemeiner)
- Israel: Purim Extravaganza for Children With Disabilities (i24News)
