“Israel has been and will be on the right side of history,” the foreign minister stated.
By World Israel News Staff
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid announced Monday that Israel will vote to condemn Russia at the UN General Assembly, thus joining many countries that are expected to do so as well.
“Israel has been and will be on the right side of history,” he said. “These are our values. Our main ally has been and will always be the U.S.”
But America also understands the complexity of the situation, Lapid added, referring to Russia turning a blind eye to IDF attacks on Iranian bases in Syria. On Sunday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Israel was taking a “measured and responsible policy” with regard to Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine.
“Israel is carefully examining the significance of the sanctions on Russia. We have established an inter-ministerial team that will examine the effects on the Israeli economy and our policies,” Lapid said in his announcement on Monday.
The foreign minister also discussed Israel’s humanitarian aid to Ukraine and clarified that rescue efforts are continuing.
“Four-thousand Israelis have already left Ukraine with the help of the Foreign Ministry, but there are 180,000 eligible for the Law of Return. They are part of a wave of refugees that is growing every day. ”
“Ukraine is an area of heavy fighting, but we are obligated to a sacrosanct commitment that we will do everything to not leave any Israeli behind, or any Jew behind. This is why there is a Jewish state. It’s our obligation,” Lapid said, while conceding that the task is becoming increasingly difficult.
“Communication networks are collapsing, and there is a significant amount of inaccurate information. Israelis and Jews are part of a wave of hundreds of thousands of refugees, and this wave grows daily,” he said.