To punish such expression may not eliminate it

JERUSALEM — When Avigdor Liberman, Israel’s Soviet-born finance minister, condemned the apparent atrocities in Bucha, Ukraine, this past week, he was careful not to blame Russia. “Russia is accusing Ukraine and Ukraine is accusing Russia,” and Israel should avoid adjudicating one way or the other, Mr. Liberman told a radio station last Monday. “We here need to maintain Israel’s moral stand on the one hand,” he added, “and Israel’s interests on the other.” It was a comment that underscored two aspects of today’s Israel: the Israeli government’s cautious approach to the war in Ukraine and the political and social role played by Russian-speaking Israelis from post-Soviet countries, particularly Kremlin-connected Russian-Israeli businessmen. Israel has expressed repeated support for Ukraine, whose president, Volodymyr Zelensky, is Jewish. It has sent humanitarian aid, set up a field hospital in western Ukraine and voted on Thursday to suspend Russia from the United Nations Human … [Read more...] about Israel’s Ukraine Policy Prompts Scrutiny of Russian-Israeli Oligarchs

Russia is threatening to ban a major Jewish nonprofit agency that helps people emigrate to Israel from operating in the country, a sign of the Kremlin’s deteriorating relationship with Israel and of the far-reaching fallout from the war in Ukraine. Russia’s Justice Ministry is seeking to liquidate the Russian branch of the nonprofit, the Jewish Agency for Israel, which operates in coordination with the Israeli government, according to a notice from a Moscow court. The Russian government’s move amounted to a broadside against Jews in Russia and seemed to reverse President Vladimir V. Putin’s efforts over the years to build closer ties to Israel and to the Jewish community. A preliminary hearing has been set for July 28, and Prime Minister Yair Lapid of Israel said Thursday that he would send a delegation to Russia for talks aimed at keeping the agency operating there. “The Jewish community in Russia is deeply connected with Israel,” Mr. Lapid said in a statement. “We will … [Read more...] about Russia Moves to Close Agency Handling Emigration to Israel

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken on Monday said that the visit to Moscow by China’s president days after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir V. Putin, amounts to Beijing providing “diplomatic cover for Russia to continue to commit” war crimes. President Xi Jinping’s visit “suggests that China feels no responsibility to hold the president accountable for the atrocities committed in Ukraine,” Mr. Blinken said of Mr. Putin. Mr. Blinken made the remark during a longer criticism of the role China has sought to take in the war by offering a vague plan for peace talks that Kyiv and its Western allies have brushed off. He warned against any efforts to settle the conflict that might lead to an “unjust outcome” or offer Russia a chance to gain a tactical advantage in the fighting. The briefing by Mr. Blinken in Washington was to mark the release of the State Department’s annual report on global human rights , which harshly … [Read more...] about Blinken Says Xi’s Visit to Moscow Offers ‘Diplomatic Cover’ for Putin’s War Crimes