Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said today in Bratislava that Russia won’t be able to circumvent Western sanctions through Israel. Speaking at a joint press conference with his Slovakian counterpart Ivan Korcok, Lapid said, “Israel will not be a route to bypass sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and other Western countries. The Foreign Affairs Ministry is coordinating the issue together with partners including the Bank of Israel, the Finance Ministry, the Economy Ministry, the Airports Authority, the Energy Ministry and others.”
Israel has so far refused to join Western sanctions against Russia, primarily out of unwillingness to directly confront Moscow, with whom it maintains dialogue and cooperation channels over Syria. There is also Jewish Russian oligarchs to consider. Several of them hold Israeli in addition to Russian citizenship and hold property in the country.
