Europe unhappy with Israel's reluctance to sanction Russia
While European capitals would like to see Israel join the sanctions packages enacted by the West against Russia, they have expressed understanding of Israel’s delicate position.
BRUSSELS — European Union members are expected to adopt a fifth sanctions package against Russia tonight or tomorrow, but Israel is not expected to change its stance on the issue. So far, Israel has been implementing some of the banking sanctions adopted by the United States and European Union members against Russian financial institutions, but Jerusalem has not adopted any official sanctions policy. Israeli diplomatic sources have argued that Israel does not have the legal tools to do so, but admitted that Jerusalem would rather not enact sanctions against Moscow.
In his Zoom speech to the Knesset March 21, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Israel to enact sanctions and assist his country with weapons.
Turkey has also refused to adopt sanctions against Russia. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met this morning with French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the NATO summit that took place this morning in Brussels. The two leaders said they will continue consultations and continue with all dialogue channels to promote an end to the conflict.
A senior Israeli diplomatic source confirmed to Al-Monitor that while European capitals are pressuring Jerusalem to change its stance, they also express understanding of the difficult spot Israel finds itself in, with the Russia's military presence in Syria and involvement in the Vienna talks on Iran. The source confirmed that the European Union did not make any diplomatic complaints vis-à-vis Israel on this issue.
