Israel refrains from taking side on the Ukrainian crisis
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                  World Jewish News

                  Israel refrains from taking side on the Ukrainian crisis

                  Ukrainian presidential candidate Petro Poroshenko visited Israel over the weekend.

                  Israel refrains from taking side on the Ukrainian crisis

                  23.04.2014, Israel and the World

                  Israel has made clear that it will not take a firm position on the crisis in Ukraine.
                  “Our basic position is that we hope Russia and Ukraine will find a way as quickly as possible to normalize relations, and find a way to talks, and to solve all the problems peacefully,” Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told a press conference in Jerusalem with his visiting Austrian counterpart, Sebastian Kurz.
                  “We will support all efforts to solve this issue in the fastest way possible, without confrontation or friction,’’ he added, stressing that there is “no lack” of problems with which to contend in the Middle East.
                  Lieberman and Israel’s President Shimon Peres, met over the weekend with pro-Western Ukrainian presidential candidate Petro Poroshenko, who was on a low-profile visit to Jerusalem during which he reportedly asked for Israeli support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
                  According to the Russian news agency Itar-Taas, Lieberman said of his meeting with Poroshenko that “normalization of relations between the two fraternal nations, between the neighbors, is our [Israel’s] priority.”
                  According to the report, Liberman said that both Russia and Ukraine are “very friendly towards Israel, and I wish both nations to return to cooperation as soon as possible, to normal brotherly relations.”
                  He was further quoted as saying that just as the relations between Russian and Georgia have improved over the last couple of years, “I hope that Russia and Ukraine will also normalize relations soon,” adding that this was “in the interest of the whole world.”
                  Though he would not comment on his meeting with Poroshenko, he said he hoped the May 25 presidential elections in Ukraine will “be held in a calm and civilized atmosphere.”
                  Since the beginning of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia Israel has tried to remain out of it, refraining from taking public sides with Ukraine and the US in the matter, out of concern that this would anger Russia and redound negatively on Israel’s security concerns in the region, specifically Syria and Iran.
                  According to various sources, Israel’s neutral position has angered the US.
                  US State Department spokeswoman Jan Psaki recently said : “As you know, we work closely with a range of countries, not just European countries, on Ukraine and we have been for months.’’ “And so we were surprised that Israel did not join the vast majority of countries that voted to support Ukraine’s territorial integrity in the United Nations.’’
                  Israel did not show up for the recent vote at the UN General Assembly on the issue, with Israeli officials attributing Israel’s no-show to the recent Foreign Ministry strike.
                  Earlier this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss bilateral issues, Iran and Ukraine.
                  The conversation came amid escalating tensions in eastern Ukraine.
                  According to the Kremlin statement, Putin provided an assessment of the processes occurring in Ukraine, and “pointed out that the sharp escalation of the crisis is the result of Kiev’s irresponsible policy, which disregards the lawful rights and interests of the country’s Russian-speaking citizens. He stressed the inadmissibility of the current regime’s use of armed forces to suppress public protests in southeastern Ukraine.”
                  The statement said that the leaders “agreed to continue regular exchanges of opinion on issues of mutual interest.”
                  When pressed on the topic of Ukraine on a visit to the US last month, Netanyahu told Fox News: “I hope the Ukrainian thing is resolved quickly, amicably, but I have enough on my plate, which is quite full.”
                  He then quickly changed the subject to another talking point: a ship carrying Iranian and Syrian arms Israel had seized on the Red Sea off Sudan a few days before.
                   
                  by Yossi Lempkowicz

                  EJP