- December 4, 2024
- 11:55 pm
- Israel
“I'm not familiar with this proposal“, – stated on December 4, 2024 to the Russian “Izvestia” Dmitry Gendelman, Advisor to Prime Minister Netanyahu.
“In any case, the spoils of war captured by the Israel Defense Forces are at the disposal of the military, and their further use will be decided by the relevant structures (!!! – ed.)and not by Foreign Ministry officials or parliamentarians.”
“The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not dealing with the issue of transferring allegedly Russian weapons to Kyiv, seized by the Israeli military from Hezbollah and Hamas.”,” Izvestia translated for its ordinary Russian readers.
The situation looks as if the Israeli government is lost as to who should decide the fate of the seized weapons.
The initiative to transfer it to Ukraine was proposed by former deputy Sharen Haskel. Now the bill is supervised by Dan Iluz, but his powers have “suddenly been reduced.” This allowed the Russian media to call what was happening “the theater of the absurd.”
According to Gendelman, the government is not involved in discussing such decisions, which once again raises questions aboutthen in Israel bears responsibility (or doesn't want to be responsible) for such important initiatives.
We have already written – Are they giving back?: the initiative to transfer captured Russian weapons to Ukraine is “a private proposal of one of the Knesset members” – Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine – it “has not received official development”
Why is Israel delaying?
Israeli policy on the issue of assistance to Ukraine is distinguished by enviable caution. On the one hand, it is important for the country to maintain partnerships with the United States and maintain the image of a pro-Western state. On the other hand, Israel does not want to quarrel with Russia, given its role in Middle Eastern politics.
The Russian media present this situation with mockery. For example, Izvestia emphasizes that chaos allegedly reigns in Israel, and the politicians themselves make contradictory statements.
What are they saying about the bill?
The bill introduced by Sharen Haskel never moved forward. After Haskel received a post at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, her authority to promote the initiative ceased to exist. Meanwhile, Dan Iluz, who took up the bill, lost his membership in key Knesset committees, as well as the right to introduce bills within a month and a half.
“According to the official version, Iluz was removed because of his inappropriate comments regarding discipline in the ruling coalition and “his behavior.” He is also prohibited from introducing bills for one and a half months. At least, there were no discussions about the possible transfer of weapons to Ukraine,” the deputy’s press secretary told Izvestia.
Is Russia an observer or a manipulator?
Russian media, such as Izvestia, actively comment on the situation with Israeli weapons. They emphasize that Israel, unlike Western countries, remains neutral, helping Ukraine only humanitarianally. However, this is presented as weakness and indecisiveness.
What the Russian media write:
- Israel is bogged down in bureaucracy.
- Netanyahu and his team are evasive.
- Ukraine receives only minimal support from Israel.
How will this affect Ukraine?
Kyiv counts on military assistance from Israel, but is forced to content itself only with early warning systems and intelligence data.
The Ukrainian expert noted:
“Israeli support could be more significant. However, we understand the difficult situation Jerusalem is in.”
Conclusion: Israel's Position
Israel continues to balance between maintaining partnerships with Russia and supporting Ukraine. However, the current situation with the transfer of weapons has revealed not only geopolitical complexities, but also the country's internal bureaucratic (or political) problems.
We will monitor developments on NAnews – Israel News.
