Occupied Jerusalem -

With Likud Party leader Benjamin Netanyahu tasked with forming the next Israeli government, Moscow and Kiev again flirted with Tel Aviv, which sought to adopt a "position of neutrality" in the Ukrainian war in order to preserve its interests with the two countries.

It publicly pursued a policy of "walking between the dots", while it was active behind the scenes to preserve its security and strategic interests.

Tel Aviv returned to the circle of interest of Russia and Ukraine with Netanyahu's rise to power again, and this was evident through the secret visit that a Ukrainian military delegation made to Israel at the end of last November, requesting the supply of weapons and air defenses, as revealed by the official Israeli television "Kan". .

The secret visit was followed by Israeli-Russian talks, in which Moscow warned Tel Aviv of the consequences of supplying weapons to Kyiv, and requested that Israel not object or obstruct the transfer of Russian air defense systems from Syria to the front in Ukraine.

Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, Israel has deliberately not provoked the anger of Russian President Vladimir Putin, in order to preserve its security and strategic interests, especially not to prejudice the security understandings with Moscow that provide the Israeli Air Force with the freedom of military aggression and launching attacks on Syria under the pretext of limiting the positioning Iranian military, and preventing the transfer of Iranian arms shipments to Hezbollah.

And the talks that Tel Aviv is holding with Moscow and Kiev separately raise many questions about the reasons for Israel distancing itself from angering Russia or even irritating Putin?

On the other hand, what is Tel Aviv doing to silence the repeated Ukrainian requests to supply it with weapons?

Israeli Security Minister Benny Gantz expressed strong opposition to supplying Ukraine with the Iron Dome system (Israeli press)

Ukrainian security delegation to Israel

The visit of the Ukrainian military delegation to Tel Aviv was preceded by statements by Israeli Security Minister Benny Gantz, who confirmed Tel Aviv's position refusing to supply Ukraine with weapons and air defense systems.

Gantz expressed strong opposition to providing it with the Iron Dome organization, limiting himself to revealing the possibility that Tel Aviv could help Kyiv by providing it with early warning systems against air threats.

Gantz stressed Tel Aviv's position to provide humanitarian and medical aid, life-saving defense equipment, and to receive Ukrainian refugees.

Note that Israel took advantage of the war and brought about 15,000 Jews from Ukraine and about 33,000 from Russia.

In order to preserve relations with Moscow and prevent an increase in tension, Israel sought to downplay the value and importance of the secret visit of the Ukrainian military delegation, at a time when Russia warned Israel of the repercussions of supplying Ukraine with weapons and air defense systems, according to Israeli Channel 13.

Despite the Israeli refusal to provide Kyiv with weapons, air defense systems and Iron Dome under the pretext of fear of secret Israeli technology leaking to a foreign country, the Ukrainian delegation reiterated its country's request to obtain weapons and air defense systems from Tel Aviv.

For its part, Israel agreed, according to the newspaper "Haaretz", to finance and purchase what it described as "strategic materials" for the benefit of the Ukrainian war effort, and it was transported through member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), under pressure from the US administration, which demanded that Tel Aviv not to Limiting its role to humanitarian aid.


A Russian warning of the escalation of anti-Jewish

In front of the "walking between points" approach, Tel Aviv found itself facing an opportunity to contain any tension with the Kremlin following the visit of the Ukrainian military delegation to Tel Aviv, through the Russian-Israeli talks that came at Moscow's initiative.

The talks included direct Russian warnings about the consequences of Israel providing Ukraine with weapons and the Iron Dome system, at a time when the Russian negotiating delegation conveyed a request from President Putin, who is considered a personal friend of Netanyahu, not to obstruct Israel’s withdrawal and transfer of Russian air defense systems from Syria to the fronts with Ukraine. According to what was reported by the official Israeli radio "Kan".

A Russian source close to the Kremlin warned that "Russia's loss of the war in Ukraine would lead to a wave of anti-Semitism against Jews in many countries of the Soviet Union and in Russia in particular."

While the Israeli radio indicated that a Russian official confirmed during talks with the Israeli side that "it is President Putin who, at this stage, is preventing the outbreak of a wave of anti-Semitism."

And Israeli military and security leaders expressed their fear that Putin's anger would turn into a clash and a direct confrontation between Israel and Russia that is not limited to veiled warnings and threats, but is directed to practical measures, similar to the Kremlin's decision to stop the work of the Jewish Agency in Russia and file a lawsuit against it in the Russian court.

Thousands of Jews brought by Israel from Ukraine and Russia since the beginning of the Ukrainian war (Reuters)

Disassociation from angering Russia

Faced with the dilemma of the war in Ukraine, Israel seeks to ensure the continuation of the activity and work of the Jewish Agency in Russia, which sponsors 600,000 Jews waiting to immigrate to Israel, taking into account the Russian military presence in Syria, the Iranian military position there, and the Iranian nuclear project.

Israel refuses to arm Ukraine, due to the fact that the Russians maintain a military force in Syria, where the Israeli Air Force operates routinely and freely under the security understandings between Tel Aviv and Moscow.

Israel thinks that provoking Putin's anger would undermine the security understandings between Russia and Israel regarding freedom of military action in Syria, which could lead to strengthening Iranian influence and speed up arms shipments from Tehran to Hezbollah.

Israel is also apprehensive about the Russian-Iranian military rapprochement in the war arena in Ukraine, and the possibility of Moscow siding with Tehran in the pending negotiations regarding the nuclear agreement with the superpowers, especially with Iran continuing to enrich uranium without deterrence, and fears that it will obtain nuclear weapons with Russian support.

The Israeli establishment is concerned about the spread of talk about the emergence of Iranian drones on the battlefield in Ukraine, the possibility of Iran supplying Russia with surface-to-surface missiles, and Tehran’s exploitation of the battlefield in Ukraine in order to test and develop these weapons as well as precision missiles with Russia.

According to a report by the Israeli National Security Research Center, Putin is "a global political genius who is ruthless and unrestrained, and would act without limits and without restraint, with near-mysterious abilities. Therefore, Israel is taking more caution and limiting its aid to Ukraine."