After criticism, Israel to co-sponsor UN resolution condemning Russia

Israel’s ambassador to the US announces that Jerusalem will co-sponsor a UN resolution condemning Russia, following criticism from the West over its attempts to balance support for Kyiv and maintaining ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In a series of tweets, Michael Herzog says Israel “undeniably supports Ukraine, its sovereignty and its territorial integrity.”

As FM @yairlapid reiterated and we articulated to our American friends: Israel believes in upholding the international order and undeniably supports Ukraine, its sovereignty and its territorial integrity.

— Ambassador Michael Herzog (@AmbHerzog) March 2, 2022

But he indicates that Israel does not want to jeopardize its ability to strike Iran-backed forces in Syria, which depends on Russia’s tacit support.

“While our moral position is clear, we are striving to pursue it in a way that will maintain our freedom of operations against Iran in the region, which is in everybody’s interest,” he tweets.

The announcement comes after Israel was criticized for refusing to sell missile defense systems to Ukraine and balking at support for a UN resolution condemning Moscow last week, which reportedly drew a rebuke from the US.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said earlier that Israel was seeking to “help quietly” while maintaining its own strategic interests.

“The State of Israel has taken a measured and responsible approach, which allows us not only to protect our interests, but also to be useful,” Bennett said.

It’s unclear why Herzog makes the announcement and not Israel’s ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan, but earlier in the day the government signaled unhappiness with Erdan, tasking his deputy with delivering a speech backing Ukraine at the UN.