Foreign Minister Yair Lapid undertook the thankless task of condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine this week. A day earlier, on Feb. 22, Israel issued an anemic announcement supporting Ukraine’s “territorial integrity” without mentioning Russia. The United States and the West were not satisfied and the Russians were irritated. At about the same time, Russia’s UN ambassador announced that his country condemns Israel’s occupation of the Golan Heights.

This reference to Israel’s Golan takeover from Syria 55 years ago signaled officials in Jerusalem that the time had come to get off the fence. Israel’s heart is in the democratic Western camp, but Russian President Vladimir Putin is on the Syrian side of its Golan Heights border fence. Lapid even calls the Russians “our northern neighbors.” The Russian radars deployed in Syria lock on Israeli fighter jets every time they take off, even from Israel’s southernmost air bases. This week, Israel reportedly launched two raids on Syria, bombing Iranian-backed targets on the Syrian Golan and another equally destructive bombing run in the Damascus region.

Israel’s feeble response to the Russian aggression prompted significant criticism in the West. Lapid was subjected to biting comments from European colleagues over Israel’s neutrality. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett summoned Lapid and Defense Minister Benny Gantz, with Soviet-born Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman joining remotely, for an urgent discussion. Their decision was to adopt a tougher tone, doing the minimum required to meet the bar set by the West but avoid crossing the red line drawn in the East. Having the bad luck to be Israel’s foreign minister, Lapid was saddled with the mission.

Lapid said without much enthusiasm, refusing to answer reporters’ questions, “The Russian attack on Ukraine is a serious violation of the international order. Israel condemns that attack and is ready and prepared to offer humanitarian assistance to Ukrainian citizens.”