As a state that understands first-hand the need to protect one’s sovereignty, it should have been a given that Israel would do all it could to support Ukraine following the Russian invasion. Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Zelensky has commented on the shared struggles between Israel and Ukraine, when he noted in December 2021 that “We know what it’s like not to have an own state. We know what it means to defend one’s own state and land with weapons in hand, at the cost of our own lives. Both Ukrainians and Jews value freedom, and they work equally for the future of our states to become to our liking, and not the future which others want for us. Israel is often an example for Ukraine.”

And yet in recent days Israel has not always lived up to the mark. On the one hand, Israel has made valiant efforts to send 100 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Ukraine, including medical equipment, tents, and blankets. On the other hand, Israel has thus far failed to provide any military support, which has been a source of deep disappointment for Ukrainian politicians, according to Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Yevgen Korniychuk. On top of this, Israel has taken the position of a “middle man” in the crisis, at times failing to condemn the Russian state for its unjustified assault on Ukrainian territory and sovereignty. 

For example, although the Israeli state’s first official statement last week supported Ukrainian territorial integrity and sovereignty, it failed to name the perpetrator destroying Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty: Russia. Then on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett refused to offer the military aid requested Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Zelensky. The history of close Russo-Israeli relations has eclipsed the diplomatic need to promote solidarity with Ukraine. 

Israel is now walking a morally-dubious tightrope, shamefully trying to maintain a low profile amidst one of the greatest catastrophes to rock the European continent since World War II.

Since the collapse of the USSR in 1991, Russia has been keen to position itself as a leader in the Middle East and to resist US domination in the region. As for Israel, the development of a strong relationship can also be attributed to historical and socio-cultural ties. Foremost amongst these is the Russian-speaking diaspora currently residing in Israel. 

Putin himself has played a prominent role in the development of relations, frequently conducting visits to former Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and hosting him in Russia. According to the Jerusalem Post, between September 2015 and July 2018 the leaders met nine times. The paper concluded that Netanyahu had met Putin more frequently during this time period than any other world leader, an indication of the importance of their personal, face-to-face diplomacy. The two countries have aligned themselves on historical memory surround World War II, as well as questions of geopolitical concern, foremost in Syria. 

Russia has played an important role in helping Israel contain the expansion of the Iranian force in Syria. It might be that Israel is reluctant to take a firmer stance in Ukraine in case Putin should rescind this offer in Syria. Israel’s security concerns may thus have prevented it from clearly aligning itself with NATO and EU nations against Putin’s unprovoked attack. 

But Israel should focus on the large Jewish community in Ukraine. Having endured a traumatic history of pogroms, antisemitic violence and oppression, it has now been threatened once again by the raging Orthodox Christian militarism of the Russian Army. The Ukrainian Jewish population has once again become a refugee community.

Some of those fleeing Russian invasion have ended up in Chisinau, Moldova, with Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lipid also signposting Poland, Romania, and Hungary as states that would accept them. Israeli humanitarian organisations are operating in the area alongside Israeli emergency services and working with the local Jewish community to provide support and shelter for this influx of Jewish refugees. Israel is also allowing Jews to make aliyah, provided that they are born to Jewish mothers.

But Israel needs to do more. Countries across Europe and the West have recognised that Ukraine needs military support, and Israel has kept shtum. Israel is lagging behind the West. Ukrainian Jews deserve better and the Russian bear must be poked for their sake. If the Israeli state continues this policy of Russian appeasement, it will be abundantly clear that it does not side with the West but with a despotic tyrant. Its international reputation may never recover.

Isabel Sawkins is a research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society. She is in the final months of completing a PhD on Holocaust memory in Russia.