On Saturday, the Naftali Bennett-Prime Minister of Israel, surprise visit to Moscow. Bennett is taking on the unthinkable role of mediator between Ukraine and Russia.
Naftali Bennett has been the president of Israel country for less than a year, and he is mainly unproven on the international stage. He has placed the Israel country in an uncomfortable middle ground between Ukraine and Russia in the lead-up to the war, creating an ideal platform to establish itself as a participant in the diplomatic process.
But if you decide to engage in international mediation during the midst of war can be a danger for Israel. It is dependent on its relationships with the Kremlin Moscow for security coordination issues in Syria. When Moscow is negotiating with Iran regarding their nuclear programs, Israel cannot upset Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Bennett’s bet:- Prime Minister of Israel- Naftali Bennett was elected last year as part of an agreement between eight ideologically different parties bent on removing the former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
A religious Jew who made millions of dollars in the nation’s high-tech sector, the Naftali has served in several Cabinet posts in the past but lacks his predecessor’s international and charismatic experience. A former KGB agent will test him like never before by mediating between the Russian President Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy-President of Ukraine.
Bennett’s administration is seen as illegitimate by domestic opponents who disapprove of how he came to power, and public opinion has shifted against him in recent months. Further criticism grew during the build-up to the Russian war against Ukraine over the Naftali reticence to the censure Russia- breaking with Israel’s friends in the West who were stepping up sanctions. While Naftali Bennett repeatedly expressed his support for the Ukrainian population, he stayed clear of condemning Russia’s incursion.
As Western sanctions mounted, the Naftali maintained contact with both the presidents Zelenskyy and Putin, who reportedly asked Naftali Bennett to mediate between the two sides. After the Naftali Bennett visit to Moscow, he became the first Western president to meet the Russian president after the war began. His involvement in a critical, high-stakes, and high-profile conflict could boost his political career.
“Bennett has reinvented himself,” stated Esther Lopatin, a European affairs specialist from Tel Aviv University. “Here is someone who was struggling in polls and confronted with public criticism. It turns out he could pull rabbits from his hat.”
A diplomatic minefield:- Israel country is among the few countries with good relations with Ukraine and Russia. It has provided 100 tons of humanitarian aid to Ukraine and states that it is planning to establish an emergency hospital.
But Israel’s relationships with Russia are of strategic importance. Israel depends on Russia for the security coordination in Syria, where Russia has a military presence and where Israeli jets frequently hit targets thought to be weapons storage facilities destined for Israel’s adversaries.
Russia is one of the most powerful nations globally, and this country is negotiating with Iran over its nuclear programs in Vienna; the agreement is expected soon. Israel’s government opposes the agreement because it does not adequately limit Iran’s nuclear activities. It has been discussing this opposition with Russia often over the years.
Even if Russia’s onslaught accelerates, Israel will have to maintain its neutral position and break with the West if its outreach becomes blatant mediation. If they make a mistake, relations with Putin could turn sour. If negotiations do not succeed, Bennett could appear to have been outwitted by Putin’s cleverness and have to be held accountable for the war becoming worse.
As one of the few allies of the West that hasn’t publicly expressed a negative view towards Moscow, Israel will be the main diplomatic link of the West to the Kremlin, which is a high-pressure sensitive position.
Is there any chance for success?:-
After returning from his journey, Bennett told his Cabinet that it was Israel’s moral obligation to take action, “even if the chance is not very good.” With that, a country long benefited from international mediation with the Palestinians, and Arab countries were moving closer to being the mediator.
“There is the feeling that there is an opportunity that nobody is in contact with Russian President Putin. Israel is a player who can talk to both sides,” states Vera Michlin-Shapiro, a former official at the Israeli National Security Council and the author of “Fluid Russia,” a book about the country’s national identity.
Michlin-Shapiro warned that Israel does not necessarily have the diplomatic tools to handle such a complicated crisis regardless of the goodwill effectively. The efforts of Turkey and France as the two most prominent players in international politics have failed to stop the conflict.
“On one side, (Naftali Bennett) has upgraded his international profile in a matter of minutes and won many political points in Israel. On the other hand, Naftali is taking a major risk, not just for his political career, but also for the nation of Israel and its position around the world,” commentator Barak Ravid posted in his Israeli Walla News site.
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