Lawmakers want Israel to adopt Western policies of harsh sanctions and publicly condemn Russia.
By World Israel News Staff
Republican lawmakers, including some of Israel’s most prominent supporters in the American government, are losing patience with Jerusalem’s policy of continuing to maintain good relations with both Moscow and Kyiv during the ongoing Russian invasion, Israel Hayom reported.
The Hebrew-language daily said that lawmakers, including Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), are baffled by Israel’s refusal to adopt Western policies towards Russia, including severing diplomatic ties, sending military aid and publicly condemning the invasion.
“In such an unprecedented state of emergency, both [the Democratic and Republican] parties expected Israel, as well as other US allies, to take an unequivocal stance towards Russia,” a prominent Congressional advisor told Israel Hayom.
“Those senior officials do not understand how it is possible that Israel is not unequivocally adopting Western policy, including participating in sanctions.”
According to the report, pro-Israel advocacy groups and lobbyists are working around the clock to keep the criticism from becoming public. They are reportedly meeting with American lawmakers and their associates in frequent closed-door meetings to explain Israel’s choice not to choose sides in the conflict.
Israel’s security coordination with Russia vis-a-vis Syria, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s repeated attempts to negotiate an end to the conflict, the possibility of Jerusalem serving as the venue for peace talks, and the lack of an Israeli law regarding international sanctions are all being presented as explanation for the Jewish state’s neutrality on the issue.
These explanations have been warily accepted by lawmakers who understand that as a small country in a hostile region, Israel is in a precarious position, the report said.
“Even so, the gut feeling is one of unease with Israel’s approach at such a dramatic moment in history,” another American political insider told Israel Hayom.