Foreign Minister Yair Lapid’s decision to explicitly accuse Russia of war crimes was coordinated with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, the Walla news site reports, citing a senior Israeli diplomat.
The official says the decision came in response to growing horror as images emerge of dead civilians in Kyiv suburb Bucha and other locations, and to bring Israel in line with other Western nations, which have also accused Russia of war crimes.
“It was the right thing to do ethically and diplomatically,” the source is quoted saying.
Israeli officials had defended the decision to avoid blaming Russia in the past as diplomatically expedient, given Israel’s dependence on Russia not intervening in its air campaign against Syria.
It’s unclear if the statement marks a policy shift that could see Israel fully back Ukraine, or a one-off reaction.
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