Should Israel Arm Ukraine Against Russia? Gov’t Says No, But Experts Aren’t So Sure
“Russia is a completely hostile state. It condemns Israel, it promotes Hamas, and it cooperates with Iran at every level.”
Israel's Iron Dome missile shield could protect the people of Ukraine against a Russian onslaught.
The big debate in Israel this week is whether or not it should answer the call to provide advanced anti-missile weaponry to Ukraine.
That call is coming from Ukraine itself, which is currently being bombarded by Russian missiles and Iranian suicide drones, as well as from Western allies like the United States.
Israeli missiles shields like the Iron Dome and Arrow systems could save untold lives amidst the Russian onslaught, say Ukrainian officials.
But the government of Interim Prime Minister Yair Lapid is worried that selling anti-missile technologies to Ukraine could harm relations with Russia. In fact, Russian officials have explicitly said that’s what would happen.
See: Israel Should Arm Ukraine Against Russia, Says Gov’t Minister
In a briefing with European ambassadors on Wednesday, Defense Minister Benny Gantz eased Russian concerns by clarifying:
“Our policy vis-à-vis Ukraine will not change—we will continue to support and stand with the West, we will not provide weapon systems.
“We have asked the Ukrainians to share information regarding their needs, and offered to assist in developing a life-saving early-warning system.”
So, Israel might provide part of the Iron Dome to Ukraine, the part that notifies you when a missile is inbound. But not the part that will actually shoot that hostile missile down.
That’s the wrong approach, according to some Israeli experts who say the Jewish state needs to start looking at Russia like an enemy.
In remarks to JNS, Irina Tsukerman, a national security lawyer, geopolitical analyst and president of the advisory company Scarab Rising, stated:
“It’s in Israel’s best interest to assist countries that are countering the same enemy. Regardless of some minor cooperation in Syria, Russia is a completely hostile state. It has made hostile public statements on the foreign ministry level. It has promoted relations with Hamas. And it has been cooperating with Iran at every level.”
Others say that with the US taking a more hands-off approach to the Middle East, Israel must be increasingly wary of upsetting either Russia or China, the other two global superpowers, both of which have their hands deep in the Mideast cookie jar.
Eyal Pinko, a researcher and lecturer at Bar-Ilan University who served for years in Israeli intelligence agencies, stressed:
“The only actor in the global arena that can control Iran, at least a little bit, is Russia. The Russians are still in Syria. I don’t think that they will disappear from the Middle East. So it’s important that Israel have some kind of influence on Russia.”
Moscow is also aware of this, and over the past year has exerted effective pressure on Israel every time Jerusalem began to raise its hand in support of Ukraine.
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