World News

I have highlighted some of the Wikipedia Article in the 2022-2023 section. I recommend to read the 2010 and 2023 onwards section too. Every now and then there is some "banter" in words, but the actions remain consistent.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel%E2%80%93Russia_relations#2022_Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine

In February 2022, the Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel accused Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid of reinforcing "Russian propaganda", after Lapid said that Israeli officials "don't see a violent confrontation soon" between Ukraine and Russia. The Israeli Foreign Ministry summoned the Ukrainian Ambassador for an official reprimand.The Israeli Ministry of Defense also preemptively informed the Baltic countries of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia that it would not permit the transfer of Israeli-made weaponry to Ukraine, to placate Russia. Israel also rejected a U.S. request to sell the Iron Dome air defense system to Ukraine, citing the need to avoid conflict with Russia.

On 24 February 2022, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid spoke out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine, stating "Russia's attack against Ukraine is a serious violation of international order," and that Israel "is prepared to extend humanitarian aid to Ukrainian citizens."[3][114] Despite not repeating Lapid's condemnation of Russia, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett expressed support for Ukraine, stating "our hearts are with the civilians who through no fault of their own have been thrust into this situation," and also offered humanitarian assistance to Ukraine as well.

Lapid's remarks were criticized by Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu, who urged the Israeli government "to speak less about what they don't need to talk about" on Russia and accused the government of "too many unnecessary expressions and too many false predictions". Russia subsequently summoned the Israeli Ambassador to Russia to clarify Israel's position. The Russian Ambassador to Israel, Anataloy Viktorov, encouraged Israel to "stay wise and diplomatic and continue our joint work for the benefits of our countries and people", stating that he had provided Israel with "a number of materials" explaining the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and noting the Russian recognition of "Israel's legitimate security concerns" in Syria.

Israel declined to co-sponsor a UN Security Council resolution condemning the Russian invasion, leading to an expression of disappointment by the United States. Israel later voted in favour of a UN General Assembly resolution condemning the invasion. At the request of the United States, Israel also pushed the United Arab Emirates to back the resolution.[121] Russia subsequently expressed strong dissatisfaction to the Israeli Foreign Ministry over Israel's support of the UN General Assembly resolution.

On 5 March 2022, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett flew to Moscow to have a three-hour meeting with Putin about the situation in Ukraine, after which Bennett spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy by phone and flew to Germany to meet with Chancellor Olaf Scholz.Bennett also brought up the subject of the significant Jewish community caught up in the war during their three-hour discussion in the Kremlin, according to the Israeli source.

On 11 March 2022, the Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel stated that President Zelenskyy "does not" understand the Israeli refusal to provide defensive aid to Ukraine and accused Israel of being "afraid" of Russia's "few airplanes and anti-missile systems in Syria". He described Israeli mediation of the conflict as an excuse for not providing active support to Ukraine. Israel also immediately rejected a Ukrainian request for cyber weaponry, including Pegasus, to be used against Russia.

An unnamed senior Ukrainian official accused Bennett of having "proposed that we surrender", claiming that Bennett urged Zelenskyy to "take the offer" of a peace deal from Putin. This report was subsequently denied by both the Israeli Prime Minister's office and a senior adviser to Zelenskyy.

The United States has publicly urged Israel to back international sanctions against Russia. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland called on Israel not "to become the last haven for dirty money that's fueling Putin's wars".

On 12 March 2022, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov accused Israel of "unexplained indifference and unwillingness to take a side in the war" between Ukraine and Russia.

On 16 March 2022, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Russia viewed Israeli mediation favourably, due to Israel not joining international sanctions against Russia. However, Israel has affirmed that it will not allow itself to be used by Russian nationals to evade U.S. sanctions.

Following the Bucha massacre, Israeli Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman condemned "war crimes" but declined to condemn Russia specifically, describing "mutual accusations" where "Russia blames Ukraine and Ukraine blames Russia", drawing a rebuke from the Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel. However, Foreign Minister Lapid stated that "Russian forces committed war crimes". Israel subsequently voted for a resolution to suspend Russia from the United Nations Human Rights Council. The Russian Foreign Ministry condemned the vote and Lapid's remarks, stating that it had "taken note of Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid's aggressive statements" and that they "evoke regret and rejection". The Russian Foreign Ministry also summoned the Israeli Ambassador but declined to issue a formal diplomatic rebuke.

On 12 April 2022, Defense Minister Benny Gantz cited "regional considerations", including the "area border with Russia, practically speaking, over the skies of Syria and Lebanon", for its decision not to send military aid to Ukraine or join international sanctions on Russia.

On 20 April 2022, Gantz announced Israel would send protective equipment such as flak jackets and helmets to the Ukrainian emergency services, but not to the Ukrainian military. The Russian Ambassador warned Israel that Russia would respond "accordingly" if military aid was provided.

A diplomatic row was sparked in May 2022, after Lavrov suggested that Hitler "had Jewish blood" and the "biggest antisemites tend to be Jews" in his critique of Ukrainian President Zelenskyy. Lapid described Lavrov's remarks as "unforgivable" and the "basest level of racism", demanding the "use of the Holocaust of the Jewish people for political purposes must stop immediately". The Israeli Foreign Ministry subsequently summoned the Russian Ambassador to Israel and demanded an apology.The Russian Foreign Ministry responded by describing Lapid's comments as "anti-historical" and "explaining to a large extent why the current Israeli government supports the neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv". Russian President Vladimir Putin subsequently apologized for Lavrov's remarks on a call with Prime Minister Bennett, and Bennett stated that he had "thanked [Putin] for clarifying the president's view of the Jewish people and the memory of the Holocaust".

On 6 July 2022, Israeli officials stated that Israel was no longer involved in mediation efforts between Ukraine and Russia. Bennett later suggested that disagreement with the United States and the United Kingdom, which advocated a more "aggressive approach", along with the Bucha massacre, had led to the failure of Israeli-mediated peace talks.

On 21 July 2022, it was reported that the Russian Ministry of Justice is demanding the closure of the Jewish Agency for Israel in Russia. According to a report in the Russian news agency Interfax, the Ministry of Justice's request, which was submitted to the Moscow District Court, is related to "unspecified violations of Russian law." This move led to a diplomatic crisis with Israel, after there is unanimity at the governmental level in Israel that the Kremlin is leveraging the issue in light of Israel's harsh condemnations of Russia following the latter's invasion of Ukraine. The Russian Embassy in Cairo accused Prime Minister Lapid of "lies" about Russian involvement in the Bucha massacre and condemned his "complete disregard and contempt for the lives of Palestinians". The situation was described by Bloomberg News as the "worst rift in relations between Russia and Israel since the Soviet Union's collapse". Opposition leader Netanyahu condemned Lapid and Gantz for the deterioration in relations, stating that they were "endangering our national security" and that his "measured, balanced and responsible relationship" with Russia as Prime Minister was "being undermined before our eyes in recent weeks". Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman criticised the "slightly obsessive and hysterical" response by Lapid to the Russian actions.

The former president of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, claimed that shipping Israeli weapons to Ukraine would "destroy" the diplomatic relationship between the two countries, following discussions on the shipment of Israeli weapons to Ukraine after Russia repeatedly attacked it with Iranian HESA Shahed 136 kamikaze drones. Medvedev's warning came in response to statements by Israeli Diaspora Minister Nachman Shai, who called for military assistance to Ukraine.

On 14 November 2022, Israel abstained on a UN General Assembly vote that called for Russia to pay reparations to Ukraine, breaking with the United States and the European Union.

Following Netanyahu's victory in the 2022 Israeli legislative election, Russia adopted a conciliatory tone, suggesting that Netanyahu has "a common approach toward further developing bilateral relations". In his recently published book, Netanyahu wrote positively about Putin and describes him as "smart, sophisticated and focused on one goal – returning Russia to its historical greatness". Putin welcomed Netanyahu's election win and said he hopes to strengthen Russian-Israeli cooperation.