Ex-IDF spokesman: Netanyahu should negotiate between Russia, Ukraine

27 February 2022, 10:41 am

Edit

Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) with a bouquet of flowers and then-prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Kremlin in Moscow on January 30, 2020. (Maxim Shemetov/Pool/AFP)

Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesperson Ronen Manelis tweets that he believes opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu should work as an envoy to negotiate between Russia and Ukraine after the former’s invasion of its democratic neighbor.

“Netanyahu must be appointed as a special envoy to Russia and Ukraine,” Manelis tweets. “I got to see up close how Russian President Putin listens to the [Israeli] opposition leader, if Israel has a chance to influence this event through him.”

“It will also be a certificate of honor for the Israeli government. After he succeeds (or God forbid he fails) we will return to today’s matters,” Manelis tweets.

Israel is walking a delicate line between Russia and Ukraine, with concerns over Jerusalem’s coordination with Moscow over Israeli airstrikes on Iranian-backed targets in Syria. Netanyahu, while prime minister, met with Putin on a number of occasions for talks on the matter.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked that Jerusalem serve as a mediator with Russia to help resolve the military conflict between the countries.

While Lapid has previously condemned Russian aggression, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has refrained from mentioning Moscow in public statements on the war.