Israel Can't Afford to Criticize Putin Too Loudly
Denouncing Russia’s conduct in Ukraine is understandable but could make it harder to contain Iran.
Yair Lapid’s attacks on Russia could backfire politically.
Photographer: Kobi Wolf/Bloomberg
Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid has decided to show Moscow that he won’t be pushed around by Vladimir Putin. It’s a strategy that, for all its moral weight, could damage Israel’s long-term security interests even as it plays into the hands of Lapid’s political opponent Benjamin Netanyahu.
Lapid has been in crisis mode since Russia declared last week that it would dissolve the Russian branch of the Jewish Agency, a quasi-governmental organization representing Israeli interests abroad. “This is a grave development that could negatively affect diplomatic ties between Jerusalem and Moscow,” Lapid warned the Russian government.