Categories: Opinion

Why has Israel decided to mediate big-time in the Ukraine-Russia conflict?

<p>
<strong>Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett flew in his private jet on Saturday, and headed straight to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The two leaders had a long three-hour meeting primarily on the situation in Ukraine.</strong></p>
<p>
Bennett then reached out the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is, in any case seeking Israeli help to defuse his country’s feud with Moscow. “Prime Minister of Israel @naftalibennett called me after his meeting with Vladimir Putin. We continue dialogue,” declared Zelensky in a statement.</p>
<p>
The Israeli Prime Minister diplomatic marathon then took him to Berlin to meet with German chancellor Olaf Scholz. According to the Israeli media reports Bennet could also be heading to Paris, to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron, who has so far been the key link between Putin and the West. </p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">
Israeli Prime Minister Bennett in a German government helicopter en route to meet with Chancellor Scholz in Berlin after his three-hour meeting with Russian President Putin in Moscow. <a href="https://t.co/qj0yg7bE0V">pic.twitter.com/qj0yg7bE0V</a></p>
— Avi Mayer (@AviMayer) <a href="https://twitter.com/AviMayer/status/1500246852628889602?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 5, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><p>
So, why has Bennet taken the unusual step of breaking Sabbath to mount an energetic diplomatic blitz?</p>
<p>
There are two key reasons that explain Bennet’s activism.</p>
<p>
First, as the chief patron of safeguarding Jewish interests worldwide, Israel is naturally interested in Ukraine. It is estimated that an estimated 50,000-200,000 jews reside in Ukraine whose lives could be endangered because the war, which is likely to remain protracted. Ukrainian Jewish community lives mostly in four cities:  Kyiv, Dnipro, Kharkiv and Odessa.</p>
<p>
Israel has been seriously concerned by the rise of the neo-Nazi groups, who are also in Putin’s cross-hairs, after the Maidan square uprising in 2014. Since 2014, hundreds of Jews have reportedly fled Donetsk and Luhansk, which is in the eye of the on-going conflict between Russia and Ukraine. </p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">
The only one flight that crosses from the Russian airspace to NATO’s airspace is the Israeli PM Bennet flying from Moscow to Berlin. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ukraine?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ukraine</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UkraineRussianWar?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UkraineRussianWar</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Russia?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Russia</a> <a href="https://t.co/xqAB81bEtO">pic.twitter.com/xqAB81bEtO</a></p>
— Dor Markuse 🇮🇱🇺🇸 (@dormarkuse) <a href="https://twitter.com/dormarkuse/status/1500204137488728068?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 5, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><p>
During his conversation, the Israeli prime minister raised “the issue of the large Jewish community caught up in the war in Ukraine,” Russia Today reported.</p>
<p>
Second, there are other domestic compulsions that are driving Bennet’s mediation effort. A sizeable number of Russian Jews, which have their connections with Moscow, have migrated to Israel. No government can alienate this electorally important constituency.</p>
<p>
Israel has a deep understanding of the state of play inside the conflict zone, and connections on both sides to make its mediation purposeful. For instance, Israel’s minister of Construction and Housing Minister Zeev Elkin, is accompanying Bennet in his diplomatic initiative. Elkin was born in Kharkiv, an area which is in the conflict zone, and where some members of his family still reside. Significantly, for over a decade, Elkin, a fluent Russian speaker has been translating Putin for Israeli prime ministers. According to The Jerusalem Post he is the government’s leading Kremlinologist.</p>
<p>
<strong>Also Read: <a href="https://www.indianarrative.com/world-news/ukraine-s-president-zelensky-hints-at-developing-nuclear-weapons-after-nato-declares-is-will-not-confront-russia-154922.html">Ukraine’s President Zelensky hints at developing nuclear weapons after NATO declares it will not confront Russia</a></strong></p>
<p>
<strong>Also Read: <a href="https://www.indianarrative.com/world-news/russia-declares-key-war-objective-neutrality-and-not-division-of-ukraine-155024.html">Russia declares key war objective—neutrality and not division of Ukraine</a> </strong></p>

Atul Aneja

Atul Aneja writes on international geopolitical trends focusing on China, Eurasia and the Indo-Pacific

Recent Posts

VINBAX 2024: Vietnam-India bilateral army exercise concludes at Kaushalya Dam

The fifth edition of the historic Indo-Vietnam Joint Field Training Exercise, VINBAX-2024, successfully concluded its…

14 hours ago

India-Russia strengthen defence ties at 22nd Working Group meeting on military technical cooperation

The 22nd meeting of the India-Russia Working Group on Military technical cooperation and defence industry…

15 hours ago

“I want to have strong representation of India at World Nuclear Exhibition 2025”: Sylvie Bermann

Sylvie Bermann, President of the World Nuclear Exhibition expressed confidence in India's nuclear supply chain…

16 hours ago

PoJK: Joint Awami Action Committee protests against government following new ordinance, many injured

Joint Awami Action Committee core member Shaukat Nawaz Mir has condemned the attack of police…

16 hours ago

PM Modi meets 31 world leaders, heads of organisations during his 3-nation foreign visit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in 31 Bilateral Meetings and informal interactions with global leaders…

19 hours ago

India- Australia conduct 11th Indian Air Force-Royal Australian Air Force Air Staff Talks

India and Australia conducted the 11th edition of the Indian Air Force and Royal Australian…

19 hours ago