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Foreign Minister and Yesh Atid head Yair Lapid

Lapid on US Sanctions on Russia: Israel Has Its Own Considerations

Israel has its own considerations to weigh when it comes to US sanctions on Russia, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said on Monday, February 21, as Israeli officials began publicly saying Jerusalem would follow Washington’s cues.

In light of Russia’s amassing of troops on Ukraine’s borders and the US threatening massive sanctions in the event of an invasion, Lapid said he told Washington and Moscow that Israel “will do the right thing according to our set of values.”

While Israel has “liberal democratic values,” Lapid said, there are other considerations as well.

Israel has its own considerations to weigh when it comes to US sanctions on Russia, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said on Monday, as Israeli officials began publicly saying Jerusalem would follow Washington’s cues.

In light of Russia’s amassing of troops on Ukraine’s borders and the US threatening massive sanctions in the event of an invasion, Lapid said he told Washington and Moscow that Israel “will do the right thing according to our set of values.”

While Israel has “liberal democratic values,” Lapid said, there are other considerations as well.

In addition, Lapid pointed out that Russia and Ukraine have large Jewish communities, and as such, asserted he has to be “more careful than any other foreign minister in the world.”

“I think there is an understanding of this,” he said. “This is where the special relationship [with the US] comes into play. They understand this because they understand us. We have a mutual vocabulary, a language that we share.”

Lapid said he thinks that a Russian invasion of Ukraine is still avoidable, and expressed hope that French President Emmanuel Macron’s mediation efforts will be fruitful.

“There is still enough room for a diplomatic effort to try to make this invasion – which looks inevitable – not happen,” he said.

Lapid asked cabinet ministers not to comment on the situation in Ukraine, when asked about it at a Yesh Atid faction meeting later Monday. (JPost / VFI News)

“God, we ask that you bring peace between Israel and the rest of the region. Please protect your children from harm.”