Walking Between the Raindrops: Israel Needs to Rethink Its Ukraine Policy

With the future of the post-Trump alliance between Israel and the United States shaky and uncertain, Israel must seek a formidable new ally. The potential for a powerful strategic alliance between Israel and Ukraine is hardly, if ever, discussed, but these two Western-style democracies — the only ones in the Western world facing threats to their existence, forcing them to quickly adapt to rapidly changing conditions on the ground — stand much to gain from sharing their military and technological advancements and hard-won lessons on the battlefield.

Surprisingly, Israel did not join the rest of the Western world in voicing its full-throated condemnation of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of the sovereign country of Ukraine in February 2022, offering instead a more muted response. While Israel sent Ukraine humanitarian assistance, it nevertheless refused to send lethal military aid and join Western-led sanctions against Russia.

Israel was trying to walk between the raindrops without getting wet, as the popular Hebrew saying goes. But as everyone knows, if you try to walk between the raindrops, you will get wet anyway.

For years before the Russia-Ukraine war, Israel had managed to foster a close relationship both with Vladimir Putin and with whoever was the current US president. It was a tricky, “walking between the raindrops” type of dance that helped Israel maintain freedom of military operations in Syria, where Russian influence dominated, and simultaneously protect the Jewish population in Russia from retaliation for Israeli actions.

When Russia invaded Ukraine, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had recently taken the reins of the Israeli premiership again, and he continued the policy of maintaining a robust working relationship with Putin both to protect the national security interests of Israel and to protect Russia’s Jewish population. He did a masterful job at the time of walking between the raindrops.

Two prime ministers preceded Netanyahu, Naftali Bennett, whose policy on Ukraine conformed to Netanyahu’s, followed by Yair Lapid, whose harsh and vocal criticism of Russia led to developments that appeared to validate the cautious approach of the others: Russia moved to close the Jewish Agency in Russia and only froze those proceedings when Netanyahu replaced Lapid and relations with Putin warmed once again.

Yet despite public anger in Ukraine over Israel’s refusal to sell defensive weapons to the Eastern European country, Ukraine came out with a strong show of support for Israel following the Oct. 7 attack, and support for Israel in Ukraine remains astonishingly high.

In hindsight, Israel would have been better off building a strategic alliance with Ukraine rather than with Russia.

But there’s another consideration, a black-and-white, morally clear consideration, for which no hindsight is needed: It always pays to do the right thing, even if doing the right thing hurts you. To put it another way: It’s always a bad idea to appease bullies, even if at the time it seems like the best option to protect yourself.

Of all the countries in the world, Israel and Ukraine, as the only Western-style democracies facing an existential threat, should have the most sympathy with each other — and indeed they do, among the citizens of those countries. If not in its own security interest, it was in Israel’s moral interest to do everything in its power to help Ukraine with military, strategic, tactical, humanitarian, and any other assistance it could offer.

Now both countries are emerging as major powers in their respective regions, possessing the most battle-hardened militaries and a citizenry that is innovating in defense technology faster than you can dash across the street under the raindrops with an umbrella.

With Russia’s influence in Syria gone and with Russia and Iran’s strengthening alliance, the raindrops are falling thicker and faster, and Israel needs to get an umbrella. But despite these realities, Israel has not changed its cautious, hands-off stance on Ukraine. It is not trying to be Ukraine’s best friend.

In April, Ukraine accused Israel of accepting a shipment of grain that had been stolen from Ukraine by Russia. Israel disapproved of the way Ukraine handled the situation, and a war of words ensued on social media that Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar scornfully characterized as “Twitter diplomacy.”

Both sides did not handle the situation like mature grown-ups, but Israel had the moral and pragmatic responsibility to act like the adult in the room to smooth things over. That’s because, morally, Ukraine did have the greater grievance: its stolen grain allegedly accepted by Israel versus Israel not liking the way Ukraine reacted. And pragmatically, Israel needs Ukraine as a friend more than ever.

Now, when most European countries have turned against Israel and with the potential of Ukraine joining the European Union, it pays for Israel to court Ukraine — and to court Ukraine aggressively. Shortly after the Russian invasion, Ukraine applied for membership in the European Union and was granted candidate status. Since then, the EU has opened formal negotiations for its accession to the bloc. It’s hard to overstate the benefits to Israel of having the most powerful EU country as a staunch ally.

Ukraine has been overlooked for far too long as the best potential partner for Israel in Europe. It’s high time Israel stopped prancing between the raindrops and rushed headlong into the downpour.