After lapse, Israel extends Ukraine refugees’ health benefits till year’s end

Kyiv had reacted angrily to halting of aid earlier this month, with Israeli officials saying there were bureaucratic matters to be resolved

Ukrainian refugees and new immigrants disembark from a plane on their arrival at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport, near Tel Aviv, on December 22, 2022. (Gil Cohen-Magen / AFP)
Ukrainian refugees and new immigrants disembark from a plane on their arrival at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport, near Tel Aviv, on December 22, 2022. (Gil Cohen-Magen / AFP)

The Israeli government said Friday it would extend health insurance and social assistance benefits for Ukrainian refugees until at least the end of this year.

Refugees had lost the benefits some two weeks ago after the government failed to renew them and secure the necessary funds, leading Kyiv to say it was “deeply disappointed and concerned” by the development.

“Not only does the Israeli government refuse to sell Ukraine protective measures against the murder of our citizens by the Russians — now Israel is also stopping medical assistance for refugees who fled to Israel from the threat of brutal killing at the hands of the Russians,” Ambassador Yevhen Korniychuk said last week.

Israeli officials said at the time that they were looking into the matter and added it was a bureaucratic problem that had to be resolved.

Kyiv has shown renewed frustration with Israel recently. On Wednesday, Korniychuk told The Times of Israel that Kyiv could close the border to pilgrims on their way to the city of Uman for Rosh Hashanah next month to retaliate for Israel deporting Ukrainian tourists.

Korniychuk said that Israel has been deporting around 10 percent of Ukrainian tourists who visit the country.

“We have let our feelings on this be known,” he said.

As part of a bilateral deal, Ukrainians without a visa can enter Israel and visit for up to three months. Due to the ongoing war, Israel has extended the visas of non-Jewish refugees after a cap limiting their entry was struck down by the High Court of Justice. Those with Jewish roots have automatic rights to become citizens under Israel’s Law of Return.

Ukrainian Jewish refugees who fled the war in their country wait inside a hangar in the Moldovan capital Chisinau on March 15, 2022, before heading to the airport to board a plane to Israel. (Gil Cohen-Magen/AFP)

Ukrainian officials have repeated criticism of Israel throughout the war over its treatment of Ukrainian visitors.

Ukraine has urged Jerusalem to supply it with defensive weaponry throughout the war, and particularly missile interceptor capabilities, but Jerusalem has so far refused, as Israeli leaders seek to avoid overly antagonizing Russia. This hesitance appears largely linked to Israel’s strategic need to maintain freedom of operations in Syria, where Russian forces largely control the airspace. Israel is one of the few countries that maintains relatively good relations with both Ukraine and Russia.

Jerusalem has however been working with Ukraine on the introduction of advanced early warning systems to sound an alert of incoming Russian strikes as part of a pilot program that Kyiv hopes to eventually expand to the entire country.

Lazar Berman contributed to this report.

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