US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland made it clear March 12 that the Biden administration expects Israel to adopt the sanctions imposed on Russia by the West. “We're asking as many countries as we can to join us. We're asking that of Israel as well. Among other things, you don't want to become the last haven for dirty money that's fueling [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's wars,” she told Israel’s Channel 12.

A senior US official briefed Israeli journalists about Ukraine this week, on condition of anonymity, saying, “The United States encourages all of its partners, including Israel, to participate in all sanctions against Russia, which are expected to be upgraded very soon. This includes personal sanctions targeting senior officials of the Moscow regime and the people close to them.”

Israel has been toeing the line with this policy. On March 14, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said that Israel was working to ensure its financial institutions “will not be a route to bypass sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and other Western countries.”

Lapid chose his words carefully. Israel has not officially joined the sanctions campaign, nor did it pass any regulations or orders that would affect Israeli companies doing business with Russia. There are several different levels to the sanctions. What  Israel has implemented so far mostly involves banking and finance.