'Israel' will not become route to bypass sanctions on Russia: Lapid
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While "Israel" attempted to strike a "balance" between Moscow and Kiev initially, its policies are shifting gradually into aligning with the western stance in the Russia-Ukraine crisis.
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Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid
While Israel attempts to strike a balance between its interests in both Russia and Ukraine, the Israeli government has revealed that it is making efforts to avoid "Israel" becoming a detour for sanctions against Russia, as announced by Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on Monday.
Read more: Russia will not ask for sanctions to be lifted: Russian Deputy FM
"Israel will not be a route to bypass sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and other Western countries. The Israel 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," Lapid said on Twitter.
Since the beginning of the conflict, Israel announced that it has been taking on the role of the mediator between Ukraine and Russia, calling on the end of the conflict and taking in Ukrainian refugees - though with conditions. Ukraine ambassador had slammed "Israel" for imposing a limit on non-Jewish refugees.
Lapid said that "Israel" calls for an end to fighting in Ukraine and will do everything it can to "assist mediation efforts, to stop the shooting and restore peace," and is working closely with Washington and their "European friends."
This came after Lapid's meeting with Slovakian Foreign Minister, Ivan Korcok, in Bratislava, Slovakia. They discussed cooperation at the Vysne Nemecke crossing which will help Israelis and Jews escape conflict.
Last week, Bennett said in his speech that he went to Moscow with the aim of assisting the talks between the parties, although Moscow resents the initiative.
He mentioned that even if the "chances are not great," claiming that "Israel" has a "moral responsibility to make every attempt" because he has good contacts with both sides of the conflict.
“This is a challenge for ["Israel"], but it is a challenge that we withstood in the past, time after time,” he said. “Moments like this, in which the world is facing an upheaval and Jews are no longer safe where they are, remind all of us how important it is that there is a home for Jews, whoever they are, and how important it is that we have ["Israel"].”
