Political analyst explains reasons for Israel's restraint in helping Ukraine

He told Espreso TV about this.

"A few days ago, I met with a former high-ranking Israeli military officer who was the head of military intelligence and knows firsthand how relations in high-level circles are going. He and the Israeli military in general are convinced that Russia has the ability to do a lot of damage to Israel. That is, it is not a question of friendship or how the Russians can help Israel, but how they can harm it. Israeli very high-ranking analysts, politicians, and generals have fallen in love with this concept and are not going to give it up," the Israeli political scientist noted.

Michael Pellivert added that Israel, observing Russia's relations with Iran, is on a path that will eventually lead to some kind of explosion or termination of relations between the countries.

"Israel has a special characteristic of the decision-making principle, with frequent elections and unstable coalitions, so Israeli politicians are attentive and sensitive to public opinion. Israeli society is now divided into two parts. Today, the conservative coalition led by Benjamin Netanyahu, whose election poster featured Putin and read "Netanyahu is the major league of politics," is in power. In the conservative part of Israeli society, Putin and Netanyahu are perceived as imperial, alpha-male power. Translated from Hebrew, there is an expression about a force that holds a hammer weighing a thousand tons. In other words, Russia is imagined as a force that can cause great harm. However, there is another half of society that thinks diametrically opposite, realizing that the center of power is shifting to other places. But at the same time, the conservative group is in power today, and its voters consider Russia to be at the zenith of its power," Pellivert explained.

Israel and the Ramstein meetings

Kyiv is considering canceling the visa-free regime with Israel and will request the country be excluded from Ramstein meetings due to its “unfriendly actions towards Ukraine and pro-Russian position on the international arena,” Kyiv Post reported, referring to its sources.

“The Israeli authorities never provided any real help,” a source in Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council told Kyiv Post.

“Instead, the information received during the meetings is used by Israel in its own interests.”

The National Security and Defense Council’s source added that Ukraine believes there is a “real danger” that information discussed with Israel at the Ramstein meetings “will probably fall into the possession of the aggressor state.”

• In January, Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said that Ukraine was trying to convince Israel to abandon its policy of neutrality in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war and start cooperation, but so far to no avail.

• On June 23, Benjamin Netanyahu said that his country sympathizes with Ukraine, but will not provide weapons because of fears that they could end up in Iran.

• On June 29, Benjamin Netanyahu said that his country would not provide Ukraine with the Iron Dome air defense system for the same reasons it does not provide weapons.

• On August 12, media reports suggested that Ukraine may suspend visa-free travel with Israel and ask to be excluded from Ramstein meetings.

• On August 14, Ukraine's Ambassador to Israel Yevhen Korniychuk confirmed that Ukraine is considering suspending visa-free travel with Israel.