Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz and opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, in a rare display of unity between coalition and opposition figures, expressed reluctance to change Israelʼs policy of refusing to send defense equipment to Ukraine.
This is reported by The Times of Israel.
Gantz noted that the country does not sell or transfer weapons to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, but at the same time continues to provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
On Tuesday, Ukraineʼs ambassador to Israel Yevhen Korniychuk told the Maariv newspaper that the Minister of Defense unexpectedly canceled the long-awaited conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksiy Reznikov. He also did not explain the reason for such a decision.
Korniychuk added that Ukraine is "disappointed by this step" of the minister.
At the same time, the leader of the Israeli opposition Benjamin Netanyahu whose “Likud” party, according to sociological polls, is the favorite in the upcoming parliamentary elections in Israel, praised the coalition governmentʼs "prudent" approach to the war in Ukraine. He emphasized the great work of the country in accepting refugees and providing humanitarian aid.
"As far as weapons are concerned, there is always the possibility that the weapons we supply on one battlefield will end up in the hands of the Iranians and be used against us," Netanyahu said.
The former prime minister also added that he fears that Russiaʼs invasion of Ukraine could become a potentially global nuclear conflict, which he called "a threshold that has not been crossed in 77 years."
- Politicians voiced their respective positions against the backdrop of Israelʼs Minister of Diaspora Affairs Nahman Shai speaking out in favor of providing military aid to Ukraine.
- Since February 24, Israel has exclusively provided humanitarian aid to Ukraine in large volumes. On October 13, The New York Times wrote that Israel provides Ukraine with intelligence data on Iranian drones used by the Russian army.