Ukrainian envoy urges Israel to send air defense systems, warns Jewish pilgrims unsafe
Comments, made to Israel Hayom, come after Ukrainian embassy conducts poll showing that 76% of the Jewish Israelis believe that Jerusalem should give Ukraine a green light for purchasing air defense systems.
The poll, conducted by the Geocartography Knowledge Group on behalf of the mission, found that 76% of the Jewish population in the country believe that Jerusalem should give Ukraine a green light for purchasing air defense systems. Some 24% say that such transactions should not be approved.
Yevgen Korniychuk, the Ukrainian ambassador to Israel, told Israel Hayom that this upcoming Rosh Hashana "thousands of [Jewish] pilgrims are expected to arrive in Uman, but all the talk on green corridors are meaningless because we are unable to vouch for their security."
Korniychuk said that Kyiv seeks systems to defend against ballistic missiles rather than the Iron Dome interceptors, which he believes would not be effective against the arms used by Russia. "If Israel doesn't want to help protect Ukrainians, perhaps it would like to protect its citizens?," he said, referring to the thousands of Jews who traditionally go to Uman in the fall to visit the tomb of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov. Since the outbreak of hostilities in 2022, Israel has provided humanitarian assistance and at one point even set up a field hospital in western Ukraine.
Respondents were also asked whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should visit Ukraine and meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Some 55.8% agreed, while 44.2% said such a visit was not essential. Ukraine has twice invited Netanyahu for such a summit in Kyiv. According to Ukraine, during Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska's visit to Israel, she extended such an invitation to Sara Netanyahu.
Netanyahu and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán are the only two heads of government in Western democracies who have yet to visit Ukraine since the war began. Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen did visit Kyiv in February.
Asked if Israel was taking sides in the conflict, some 50.3% of
respondents said that Jerusalem was more supportive of Ukraine, while
43.5% said it was neutral. Some 6.2% said it has been more supportive of
Russia. The online poll included a sample of 500 Jewish respondents
aged 18 and up. The statistical margin of error is 4.8%.
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