Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid explicitly and emphatically accused Russia of perpetrating war crimes in Ukraine.
“A large and powerful country has invaded a smaller neighbor without justification. Once again, the ground is soaked with the blood of innocent civilians,” Lapid said on Tuesday while in Cyprus.
Today, I met with FMs @NikosDendias & @IKasoulides
We met in complicated times. There is a war in Europe. Once again, a large & powerful country has invaded a smaller neighbor without justification. Once again, the ground is soaked with the blood of innocent civilians. pic.twitter.com/39KpLanhaU
— יאיר לפיד – Yair Lapid (@yairlapid) April 5, 2022
Lapid was reacting to reports of Ukrainian civilians being massacred in the Kyiv suburb Bucha.
Testimony from Ukraine
“The images and testimony from Ukraine are horrific,” Lapid said. “Russian forces committed war crimes against a defenseless civilian population. I strongly condemn these war crimes.”
Lapid noted that the war in Ukraine offered new opportunities for Israel for new energy partnerships.
“The war in Ukraine stands to change the structure of the European and Middle Eastern energy market,” he says. “There are risks here, but there are also opportunities which we must examine together.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennet condemned the killing of civilians documented in the Ukrainian town of Bucha but stopped short of accusing Russian forces of responsibility.
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Terrible sights in Bucha
“We’re shocked by the terrible sights in Bucha – awful scenes – and we condemn them. The suffering of Ukrainian citizens is immense, and we’re doing everything we can to assist,” Bennett said during a televised news conference.
On Monday, Defense Minister Benny Gantz also accused Russia of committing war crimes.
“I condemn murder of this kind,” Gantz said in an interview with KAN Bet. “It really is a war crime.
“Even in war, we must make sure to follow the values that are called morality in fighting,” Gantz said. “Unfortunately, civilians may be harmed in the framework of war, but they cannot be murdered as part of a war. This is something that looks very serious.”
Israel has struggled to maintain a neutral position while providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine while acting as a mediator.
Mutual accusations
Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman, who made aliya from the former Soviet Union, also declined to accuse Russia of war crimes.
“We all condemn war crimes,” Liberman told Army Radio. “There are mutual accusations here – Ukraine blames Russia, and Russia blames Ukraine.”
“We need to understand there is a bloody war there, and we need to maintain Israel’s moral position and, at the same time, our interests,” he said.
“First and foremost, we have to deal with threats to Israel,” he added later.
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