Netanyahu says he’ll ‘look into’ arming Ukraine if elected again as he eyes comeback
Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he’ll “look into” arming Ukraine if elected again to lead the nation.
The country’s longest-running leader — who is eyeing a comeback as Israel braces for a fifth election in less than four years — made the comment in an interview with USA Today Friday.
“I was asked about that recently,” he said when asked if Israel should join many of the world’s military powers in arming Ukraine to fight Russian invaders.
“I said I’ll look into it when I got into office.”
Netanyahu did not speak further about the possibility of Ukraine receiving Israeli arms should he return to power, but he did indicate a willingness to serve as mediator.
“If I become prime minister, that question [of mediation] presumably will come up again,” he claimed.
Though the Ukrainian military has been receiving high-end weaponry from several allied nations, including the US and other NATO bloc countries, Kyiv has had its eye on an Israeli specialty — rocket and missile defense systems.
Ukrainian leaders formally requested at least two Israeli air defense systems from Jerusalem this week, according to a Haaretz report — the medium-range Barak interceptors and the short-range missile defense system known as the Iron Dome.
The request comes as Moscow has stepped up its attacks on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, repeatedly bombarding Ukrainian cities and power plants with Iranian-made Shahed suicide drones and repurposed Soviet-era anti-aircraft missiles.
Israel has repeatedly denied any requests to send Ukraine weapons, however, fearing an escalation with Russia and its proxy forces in Syria, where Israel is engaged in its own campaign of airstrikes against Iranian forces.
Indeed, Russian and Israeli warplanes often fly “side by side” over Syria, Netanyahu acknowledged.
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chair of Russia’s security council, said this week that any arms deal between Israel and Ukraine would be “a very rash move” and would “destroy” diplomatic relations between Moscow and Jerusalem.
Currently, only the US and Israel possess Iron Dome systems, with the vast majority in Israeli hands.
The Barak interceptor system is also fielded by India, which relies on Moscow for much of its weaponry, and Azerbaijan, which borders Russia and is unlikely to risk escalation by giving Baraks to Kyiv.
Netanyahu said he felt the war — now nearly eight months long — was motivated by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “vision of reconstituting a great Russian realm.”
“I hope he’s having second thoughts about it,” the former prime minister added.
“But I don’t want to play psychologist,” he continued. “I want to be in the position of being prime minister, getting all the information, then making decisions on what and if we do anything in this conflict beyond what has been done so far.”
Netanyahu — who is on trial facing corruption charges — has a slight edge in polls over current PM Yair Lapid. Neither man’s coalition is thought to yet have the majority required by Israeli law, however. Should neither side gain a majority, Lapid will remain in power until another election can be scheduled.
