In Ukraine Crisis, Israel Seeks to Avoid Straining Relations with Russia and U.S.
(Globes) Danny Zaken - In the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, an Israeli diplomatic source told Globes that Israel would try as much as possible to avoid straining its relations with Russia, and that messages are being exchanged all the time between Jerusalem and Moscow. He said the frequency of communications with Washington also had increased, amid what he described as "mutual understanding." After Minister of Foreign Affairs Yair Lapid condemned the Russian attack on Thursday, Israel's ambassador in Moscow Alex Ben Zvi was summoned for clarifications at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Israel assigns decisive importance to the freedom of action that the Russians give to Israel in Syria. The Russian army maintains advanced air defense systems in Syria that could seriously disturb Israeli planes attacking Iranian targets and Hizbullah bases and arms dumps in the country. In the economic realm, half of Israel's imported wheat comes from Russia (another 30% comes from Ukraine). Russia is a very big export destination for Israeli agricultural produce, while Israeli technology companies are cooperating with Russian companies and investors. All this will be put in danger when Israel has to join Western sanctions against Russia.