“Israel condemns the attack, and is ready and prepared to provide humanitarian assistance to the citizens of Ukraine,” said Yair Lapid.
Israel condemned Russia for attacking Ukraine on Thursday morning, hours after the invasion began.
“The Russian attack on Ukraine is a serious violation of the international order,” Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said. “Israel condemns the attack, and is ready and prepared to provide humanitarian assistance to the citizens of Ukraine.”
The unequivocal message came a day after Jerusalem released a message supporting Ukraine’s “territorial integrity and sovereignty” without mentioning Russia.
Lapid added that “Israel is a country that has experienced wars, and war is not the way to resolve conflicts. The first hours and days of any war are also the last time you can still stop and return to the negotiating table, mediated by world powers, to settle disputes peacefully.”
The foreign minister mentioned Israel’s “deep, long-lasting and good relations with Russia and Ukraine,” as well as the thousands of Israelis and hundreds of thousands of Jews in both countries, whose safety is at the top of his considerations.
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Foreign Ministry, Nativ and Jewish Agency personal “are risking their lives to continue to provide assistance and help to every Israeli and every Jew,” he said.
Lapid also called on all Israelis in Ukraine to go to border crossings near Lviv, in Ukraine’s west, and leave the country.
Senior EU officials welcomed Lapid’s statement on the Russian invasion into Ukraine.
Israeli diplomats were stationed at crossings on Ukraine’s western border to help Israelis evacuate by land on Thursday, following Russia’s attack on the country and the closure of its airspace.
An estimated 7,000-8,000 Israelis remain in Ukraine, and the Israeli embassy asked that those who have not yet done so register on its website (https://survey.gov.il/ru/israelinuk) to receive updates.
Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine Michael Brodsky said that Israel “is asking Israelis to reach the border crossing with Poland independently.
“We are prepared, on the Polish side, to accept Israelis and help them fly to Israel,” Brodsky told KAN.
Israeli embassies sent representatives to the Medyka crossing with Poland, the Vysne Nemescke crossing with Slovakia, the Zahony crossing with Hungary, the Siret crossing with Romania and the Planca crossing with Moldova.
The Israeli Embassy in Ukraine officially moved on Tuesday night to Lviv, near the western border, to be farther from the more intense warzone in the east and to help with evacuations.
Though there have been reports of attacks on Lviv, as well, the embassy planned to stay, as of Thursday afternoon. However, they have an emergency plan to evacuate to Poland if necessary.
The embassy has received hundreds of phone calls, Brodsky said, but “we are staying here at the moment,” Brodsky added.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has been in consultations all morning and will lead an inter-ministerial discussion of the situation in Ukraine in the afternoon. Foreign Minister Yair Lapid held a situation assessment meeting on Thursday morning.
Hatzalah Jewish rescue services in Uman, Ukraine, the site of Hassidic pilgrimages to Rabbi Nachman of Breslev’s grave, said on Thursday that they “woke up under fire in the morning.”
“We prepared buses in advance, but there is chaos at the moment and no driver is willing to drive to the borders,” Hatzalah’s spokesman Shlomi Elisha said. “We are coordinating all the efforts to organize buses as much as we can.”
The buses will leave from Pushkina Square in Uman, with security and medical staff.
Content retrieved from: https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-698477.