On April 30, 2023, the Dor Moriah Association held a roundtable discussion in Tel Aviv.
The meeting was held as part of the Haifa Format project. Participants discussed “The war in Ukraine and Israeli involvement in this conflict.
Israeli scientists, journalists, security specialists, Knesset members and NGO representatives participated in the discussion.
The participants discussed the results of a sociological survey “Attitudes of Israelis to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
The research toolkit was developed by the Dor Moriah Analytical Center . The sociological survey was conducted by the Center “מאגר מוחות “ in March-April 2023.
This time the experts focused their attention and discussion on the position of official Israel and Israelis regarding the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and its consequences for Israel.
The results of the study showed
Lola Kolpina Phd, director of the International Analytical Center, noted differences in attitudes toward the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Russian-speaking emigrants are almost three times more likely to “constantly watch” the military conflict than native Israelis.
58% of Israelis generally do not or rarely follow the situation in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Only 9% of Israelis watch the situation “all the time.
A total of 57% of respondents believe that Israel is neutral or has no clear official position. And in total 63% of respondents rather and completely agree with the official position of Israel.
According to 80% of Israelis are concerned that the war in Ukraine will cause a humanitarian catastrophe. In their opinion, Israel should actively assist in the repatriation of people from Ukraine. The need for humanitarian aid is mentioned by 79% of Israelis.
What is the main risk for Israel, should it become involved in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict? 56% of respondents noted a deterioration of relations with Russia. For comparison, the risk of deterioration of relations with the United States was mentioned by 9% of respondents, and with Ukraine only 3%.
Stability of the position of neutrality
An expert survey showed what shapes attitudes toward Ukraine among non-Russian-speaking Israelis. This factor is the historical memory enshrined in religious traditions.
“Among ‘non-Russian-speaking’ Israelis, especially Haredim, Ukraine as a state does not evoke positive emotions. This also affects the desire to support it. Historical events related to the extermination of the Jews are a factor in determining attitudes toward the conflict.
“It is unlikely that the vast majority of Israelis have any positive attachment to Russia. They, too, remember what happened there – the Beilis affair, the sedentary line, and other discrimination. Although in Russia these incidents were much rarer than in Ukraine. Besides,they were not of such a brutal and mass nature.
Manar Bsoul, director of Dor Moriah programs: “The position of avoiding Israeli involvement as a party to a military conflict is quite stable. For example, a poll of Israelis on the attitudes of the Israeli public to the conflict was conducted in April 2022. The survey was conducted by Bar-Ilan University and Oranim College.
72% of respondents disagreed that Israel should send military forces to support Ukraine. At the same time, 90% are convinced that Israel should accept Ukrainian refugees. 70% do not agree that Israel should sever diplomatic relations with Russia. 44% believe that Israel should not impose economic sanctions against Russia either.
Opinion of experts
Knesset deputy Tatyana Mazarskaya noted the peculiarities of inter-state relations between Ukraine and Israel. “One cannote the often unfriendly behavior of the Ukrainian leadership toward Israel. But we must continue to provide humanitarian aid to the people of Ukraine. But this does not apply to military aid to Ukraine. Israel must consider its own interests and ensure its own security by building relations with neighboring countries and Russia.
Rabbi Michael Finkel, a lawyer and political scientist, voiced the opinion of “non-Russian-speaking” Israelis, especially in the ultra-Orthodox sector.“The Ukrainian policy of glorifying the persons who exterminated Jews in Ukraine cannot but cause one to shudder.
Lev Genin, vice president of the nonprofit association Assend, noted the history of Ukraine’s vote at the UN. “Зand for seven years Ukraine has voted 95 times at the UN against Israel. Ukraine has never once supported Israel. Ukrainian authorities name streets and unveil monuments to Nazi criminals. Monuments to people who actively participated in the mass extermination of the Jews. Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine Michael Brodsky should negotiate with Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko. To agree that Prezhevalsky Street should not be renamed in honor of the creator of the SS Division “Galicia” Vladimir Kubiyovych”.
Security issues
Political scientist and journalist Igor Kaminnik, director of Dor Moriah, noted the differences between the Palestinian-Israeli and Russian-Ukrainian conflicts.
“The dynamics of the Ukrainian-Russian and Palestinian-Israeli conflicts are completely opposite. The Palestinian-Israeli conflict began with a war of survival. And in its development, came to the participation of the Arab party in the coalition in the Knesset. And the war in Ukraine is the consequence of an imprudent policy. Peaceful and wealthy Ukraine, as of 1991, was in a terrible position. And the war of survival is what it is in the end.”
Lev Mashin, a researcher at Reichman University, drew attention to a number of threats. “The threat of deteriorating relations with Russia to Israeli security is multilayered. It is not only the violation of agreements in Syria and the threat of military assistance to Iran. Assistance, including, and nuclear weapons. Russia’s good relations with the Persian Gulf countries should also be taken into account. The work of Russian diplomats with Hamas and the Palestinian Authority is also important for Israel.
Adam Kuleshov, an anti-terrorism and security expert, spoke about his experience. He has helped Ukraine for many years on security and humanitarian issues.
“The level of corruption is a threat to Ukraine. Corruption prevents all the humanitarian projects Israel could offer. These are projects, both in the area of psychological assistance and in the production of humanitarian products, etc.
Often Ukraine’s unfriendly behavior toward Israel causes many to reconsider their attitude toward the Ukrainian authorities. But this does not apply to the Ukrainian people.
The key points of the round table were the following
- Despite foreign political pressure, Israel should try to remain neutral. Its involvement should be limited to humanitarian aid and refugee assistance;
- The main problem with maintaining neutrality is, on the one hand, U.S. pressure on Israel. On the other hand, there are risks of worsening relations with Russia. As a consequence, this is an increase in threats from Iran, Syria and other enemies of Israel;
- High corruption in Ukraine complicates the possibilities and effectiveness of humanitarian aid and post-war reconstruction;
- The wave of refugees from Ukraine to Israel carries certain socio-economic risks. But under certain conditions it can become a resource. This is a problem in need of scientific analysis and the development of policy solutions;
- The Haifa Format expert platform is an instrument of “people’s diplomacy. The research and application tasks include the aggregation and articulation of public opinion. The promotion of public narratives is impossible without the development of effective mechanisms for transforming it into policy decisions. How can civil society influence political decision-making and what tools are available to do so? What prevents the democratic governance mechanism from working effectively? These issues will be one of the central themes of the Dor Moria think tank’s research.
- The Knesset registration lobby is an important tool of the “Haifa Format. A tool for communicating expert opinion to decision makers.