On Sunday, August 18, begins a three-day official visit to Ukraine by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. However, the main events of this trip, including a meeting of the leaders of the two countries, are scheduled for Monday.
According to the press service of the office of the President of Ukraine, on August 19, Vladimir Zelensky and Benjamin Netanyahu will hold talks at the Mariinsky Palace. A number of bilateral documents and a joint press conference will be held there. In addition, the leaders of Ukraine and Israel will take part in mourning events dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Babi Yar tragedy.
It is worth noting that the visit of Netanyahu will be the first visit of the head of the Israeli government to Ukraine in more than 20 years. It is interesting that in March 1999, Netanyahu also came to Kiev - at that time he held the post of prime minister, but literally a few months later resigned.
According to the expert of the International Institute for Humanitarian and Political Studies Vladimir Bruter, the participation of the Israeli prime minister in commemorative events is only an excuse. The interlocutor of RT expressed the opinion that Netanyahu expects to build closer and more beneficial Israel relations with Ukraine under the new president.
“Israel is now sufficiently dependent on technology exports, and it is entirely possible that the new Ukrainian leadership may be interested in it. The new authorities of Ukraine have already announced that they would like to change the economic vector of the country, and it is entirely possible that they will discuss economic issues. Under Poroshenko, all this rested on the presence of several competing "roofs" that did not allow transparent business processes to pass to Ukraine. Maybe now Israel expects that the situation will change, ”Bruter explained, adding that these issues will also depend on the candidacy of the new Prime Minister of Ukraine and the composition of the government.
Election visit
Commenting on this visit, Israeli media drew attention to the fact that Benjamin Netanyahu went to Ukraine in the midst of the election campaign. Recall, on September 17, early parliamentary elections will be held in Israel, according to the results of which a new government should be formed in the country. Led by Netanyahu, the Likud party won the election in April 2019, but failed to form a parliamentary coalition.
- Benjamin Netanyahu
- Reuters
- © Ariel Schalit / Pool
According to various sources, from 200 to 500 thousand immigrants from Ukraine, including tens of thousands of ethnic Ukrainians, now live in Israel. Therefore, Jerusalem Post reporters do not exclude the possibility that Netanyahu may try to delay the votes of immigrants from the former USSR by the right-wing party Our Home Israel, Avigdor Lieberman, with a landmark visit to Ukraine.
The newspaper notes that one of the pressing issues that concern residents of the Jewish state with Ukrainian roots is the payment of pensions to Ukrainians who moved to Israel after 1991.
Israelis of Ukrainian descent have been waiting for solutions to the pension issue for many years. Negotiations between the two countries on the return of earned benefits began in the early 2000s, however, this issue still remains unresolved.
“Although, according to estimates, the question concerns“ only ”7-8 thousand Ukrainian immigrants living in Israel, if Netanyahu manages to get any promise from Zelensky in this regard, this can help him in the fight against Lieberman for the votes of Russian-speaking voters, so as he shows them that the incumbent head of Israel cares about the interests of immigrants, ”writes the Jerusalem Post.
Netanyahu himself, on the eve of his trip to Ukraine, said that his visit should not be connected with the upcoming parliamentary elections in Israel.
“Everything can be tied to the elections. We have elections so often, and I so often win that it is very easy to make such a connection. The main thing for me is: obvious achievements for the benefit of the state, ”the Israeli prime minister said in an interview with NEWSru.co.il.
According to Netanyahu, the main purpose of his visit to Kiev will be to strengthen ties with Ukraine.
“I promised Zelensky to visit his country around this time. We spoke shortly after our April elections ... My goal, which may not be achieved during this visit, but I hope that in the near future, is the opening of the Ukrainian Embassy in Jerusalem, ”said the Israeli Prime Minister.
In any case, according to the president of the Center for System Analysis and Forecasting Rostislav Ishchenko, Netanyahu should not count on the fact that his visit to Ukraine will bring him any noticeable number of votes during the parliamentary campaign.
“We must keep in mind that migration from Ukraine to Israel is extremely heterogeneous. Most of the returnees are more likely Russophiles. Therefore, flirting with one part of this group, you can lose the voice of another. In addition, the victory over Nazism in 1945 is sacred for the Jews, which already alienates today's Ukraine from Israel. I don’t think that flirting with Ukraine can bring any ruling party to Israel any points in the elections, ”Ischenko said in an interview with RT.
In turn, Vladimir Bruter stated that most of the repatriates as a whole are not very interested in Ukraine.
“They are more likely Soviet repatriates than Ukrainian. Most of them left before the independence of Ukraine, before this problem became decisive for them. In addition, most of them vote for the right-wing parties, including Likud. A very small number of repatriates vote for the left-wing parties, so Netanyahu should not be afraid that their voices will disappear somewhere, ”the expert explained.
The several tens of thousands of votes that a visit to Kiev could theoretically give him are not so important that for them to resume the practice of traveling to Ukraine in 20 years, Bruter added.
“Netanyahu needs arguments”
At the same time, according to experts interviewed by RT, Netanyahu during his visit may try to act as an intermediary between Russia and Ukraine. The prime minister himself did not rule out such an opportunity, having mentioned it during a meeting with Israeli journalists and bloggers on July 30.
Then one of the correspondents noted that Netanyahu had a “special” relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which could make him a good mediator, and asked if the Israeli prime minister thought of such a role. In response, Netanyahu said that “representatives of many other states” had already approached him with offers of mediation.
- Netanyahu at a meeting with Trump's son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner
- Reuters
- © Matty Stern / US Embassy Jerusalem / Handout
“For example, people from Africa and Latin America turn to me for mediation:“ Do you have good relations with them and with us, can you be a mediator? ” I am in no hurry to agree. Firstly, I can’t say that I understand their problems well enough, we have enough of our own. Secondly, if I do this, I can create expectations that I can’t justify. Therefore, so far I have politely refused such offers, but, as you asked, I will think about this possibility again, ”Ukrainian Jewish Encounter quoted Netanyahu as saying.
In turn, the former Israeli ambassador to Russia and Ukraine, Zvi Magen, in an interview with RIA Novosti, called Netanyahu’s trip to Kiev “an important political visit,” also not excluding the existence of a “wider international range of issues related to the settlement of Russia with Ukraine.”
“It is possible that one way or another, he also assumes a certain role of conditional mediation, so we will not detract from this aspect,” Magen noted.
At the same time, Rostislav Ishchenko recalled that Netanyahu flew to Moscow several times, trying to gain Russian support in the face of a difficult situation in the Middle East, but without making any adequate proposals in return.
“Netanyahu essentially asked Russia“ for the love of art ”to provide Israel with comfortable living conditions. Of course, this option is not suitable for Moscow, and now Netanyahu needs arguments. One of them may be participation in the settlement of the crisis in Ukraine. Moreover, Kolomoisky is now influencing the Ukrainian authorities, whose last place of residence was Israel, ”Ishchenko believes.
The expert also did not rule out that in exchange for participating in a dialogue with Putin, Netanyahu could become a kind of “mentor” of Zelensky in matters of communication with the unpredictable US President Donald Trump.
“Netanyahu can prepare him for a meeting with Trump. For example, he can facilitate this through his son-in-law and adviser to US President Jared Kushner - they have a very good relationship. But for this, the Israeli prime minister needs to make sure that Trump is ready to make some kind of deal with Ukraine. However, it seems to me that he will be disappointed with this country, ”Ishchenko concluded.