In the country’s strongest denunciation yet of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid described the killings in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv, as "war crimes."
"Once again, a large and powerful country has invaded a smaller neighbor without any justification," he tweeted. "Once again, the ground is soaked with the blood of innocent civilians. The images and testimony from Ukraine are horrific. Russian forces committed war crimes against a defenseless civilian population. I strongly condemn these war crimes."
As has been the case since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, Lapid’s comments — first made while speaking alongside his Greek and Cypriot counterparts — were in marked contrast to those of Israel’s Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett. While Bennett also condemned the killings in Bucha, he did not blame Russia.
"We are shocked by the horrific pictures coming out of Bucha, terrible scenes, and we strongly condemn them," Bennett said after addressing Israeli soldiers in the West Bank. "The images are very harsh. The suffering that the Ukrainian people are facing is huge and we are doing all that we can to help."
Some context: Israel is one of the few countries that maintains good relations with both Moscow and Kyiv. It is particularly wary of upsetting Russia, whose blessing it needs to carry out strikes on Iranian-linked targets in Syria.
On March 5, Bennett flew to Moscow — on the Jewish Sabbath — to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He’s since held at least three calls with Putin, and half a dozen with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as Israel attempts to mediate between the two and bring an end to the fighting.
Yet the country’s stance — tacitly supporting international sanctions while providing only humanitarian aid to Ukraine — is coming under increasing pressure. Addressing Israel’s Parliament, the Knesset, last month, Zelensky criticized Israel for not doing more to help his country, warning that it would “have to live” with its decisions, CNN reports.
