At a press conference in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu said that for years “we have had a measured, balanced and responsible relationship” with Russia, but that right now there is “a dangerous crisis” and Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Defense Minister Benny Gantz were “chatter” and “endangering our national security”. “We can and must get out of this crisis,” he said. “I am concerned that what we have built for years is being undermined before our eyes in recent weeks.” He accused “a combination of amateurism, irresponsibility and arrogance” and called on Lapid and Gantz to “stop the chatter” on the issue. Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, and Lapid was quick to condemn the attack as foreign minister, later accusing Russia of “war crimes.” Last week, Moscow stepped up its efforts to expel the quasi-governmental Jewish Agency from its borders, reducing its ability to encourage and facilitate Jewish immigration to Israel. Get The Times of Israel Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories By signing up, you agree to the terms Netanyahu, who hopes to regain his role as prime minister after the Nov. 1 election, has not mentioned Ukraine since the invasion. Before he was ousted last June, the former prime minister worked to actively warm Israel’s ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. In an official response to Netanyahu, a spokesman for Lapid said “there is no crisis,” a position that Putin’s personal spokesman expressed on Tuesday. The reasons for Moscow’s pressure on the Jewish Agency are unconfirmed, but political opponents claim that Russia’s actions against it are due to Lapid’s many condemnations of the Russian invasion. Prime Minister Yair Lapid leads a cabinet meeting at the prime minister’s office in Jerusalem on July 24, 2022. (Marc Israel Sellem/Pool) “Had Netanyahu bothered to come to Prime Minister Lapid for security and diplomatic briefings, Netanyahu would have known the facts,” the Lapid spokesman continued, adding that “in the interests of the security of the State of Israel and Russian Jewry, this it is a matter that should be dealt with discreetly and through government channels and not in press conferences.” Over the past year, Netanyahu has consistently avoided his right to receive security briefings from the sitting prime minister, consistent with his role as opposition leader. Gantz, responding to Netanyahu, quickly tweeted that “the Israeli government is behaving responsibly and decisively to protect the interests of the state of Israel and the Jewish people,” before adding: “The last person who can talk about unnecessary quarrels . in matters of security it is Netanyahu.” Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, Netanyahu led the state from 2009 to 2021, after an earlier term from 1996 to 1999. In recent years, he has invested heavily in improving relations with Putin, including forging cooperation on security to allow Israeli airstrikes in northern neighboring Syria, which has a Russian military presence. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, center, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, greet each other as Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi stands right, during their meeting in Tehran, Iran, July 19, 2022. (Office of Supreme Leader of Iran via AP ) Under the leadership of Lapid and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Israel tried to find a way to maintain working relations with both Ukraine and Russia after the conflicts broke out. The Bennett-Lapid government has absorbed criticism from the West for being too neutral towards the country it invaded, and Israel took two months to respond to Ukrainian requests for defense aid, trying to avoid Russia’s wrath. Join our Israeli cooking experience! Israeli cooking is stirring the world. Here’s your chance to join… The Times of Israel Community is excited to introduce our new virtual cooking series, B’Teavon, where world-renowned chefs show you how to make classic and modern Israeli dishes. Learn more Learn more Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this You are a devoted reader We are really glad that you read X Times of Israel articles last month. That’s why we started the Times of Israel ten years ago – to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world. So now we have a request. Unlike other media, we have not set up a paywall. But because the journalism we do is expensive, we invite readers to whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community. For just $6 a month you can support our quality journalism by enjoying Times of Israel ADS-FREE, as well as access to exclusive content available only to members of the Times of Israel Community. Thank you, David Horowitz, founding editor of the Times of Israel Join our community Join our community Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
