Israel should avoid the Ukrainian conflict, and focus on its own issues

Russia is a global power, we need to treat it as such. Despite all difficulties in current state of relations, we should keep dialogue with Moscow.

The seventh of October has stripped up not only Israeli society, but the whole world. Fifty years after the Yom Kippur War, Israel is again facing existential threat, posed by HAMAS terrorists and those who are baking them.

Hanoch Milwidsky, Israeli politician, currently serving as a member of Knesset for Likud party, says Israel has no other option but to fully eliminate terrorists from Gaza strip.

“Now we must conquer Gaza and kill all HAMAS leaders, terrorists and their supporters. It is obvious that Israeli society can no longer tolerate any terrorist entity on our borders. We will definitely stay in Gaza to maintain our security.”

As for Biden’s administration initiative to include financial and military support for Israel in Ukraine into one package, Mr. Milwidsky considers this as an inner debate. According to him, Israel should not be involved in this debates between Democrats and Republicans. At the same time, politician covers difficult state of relations between Israel and Russia. Despite all that, Mr. Milwidsky suggests a very realistic approach to foreign policy: Israel should keep constructive relations with Russia and try to revive the most friendly and trusting relations with the country, as they were in the past. Israel has nothing to do with the Ukrainian conflict and should not choose sides.

“I don’t want to be presented as an official who represents governmental opinion on this matter, but it’s an inner conflict, we should not be involved in it. We should not include ourselves into these tensed political debates inside the U.S. As for relations with Ukraine and Russia, I think we need to continue the same model of our diplomacy around this conflict. We have good relations with both countries. Given all difficulties we are now facing due to Russian position in our conflict, Moscow is still an important global player. We need to treat it as such and hopefully we can make the relations better, as they were few years ago. Israel should not be tracked into a military conflict, where we have no side in. We have enough conflicts around ourselves”.

Hanoch Milwidsky says Israel has been facing constant pressure from foreign powers since 1947. However, Israel has always been able to face such challenges and find equivalent response to them. Politician is sure, that Israel should finish it’s military operation in Gaza strip, maintaining peace and security for Israeli people.

“Israel is under pressure since the very beginning of it’s appearance. Every time we fight this pressure back. We left Gaza many years ago, but now are facing such situation. We need to defend our people. We need to regain the trust of Israeli people. With pressure or without pressure, this is the job we have to finish”.

How is this war reshaping Israel's standing on the global stage? This pressing inquiry is what Nick Kolyohin seeks to address as part of his latest endeavor, "The World is Burning." This captivating series of articles will be featured exclusively here in the Jerusalem Post.

Within each episode, Kolyohin engages in conversations with seasoned experts in the fields of security and international relations, exploring the novel era of warfare that has unfolded following the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. It initially took root in Europe, eventually engulfing the Middle East.

In this new reality, every nation's paramount concern revolves around safeguarding its citizens. Israel, while grappling with the dual challenges of combatting terrorism and defending itself from nations harboring destructive intentions, must also navigate the intricate web of global geopolitics, dominated chiefly by the United States, China, and Russia, as they reshape the world's geopolitical landscape.

Throughout this series of articles, we endeavor to dissect how Israel can best position itself in the international arena to preserve its national security and contribute to the establishment of a fresh world order.

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