Ukraine is responsible for a large percentage of Israel’s grain.
Israel’s grain supply will be slashed if there is an escalation in Ukraine, the country’s Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova warned in an interview on Sunday.
“In case of an escalation, the State of Israel will be directly affected,” Dzhaparova said in Jerusalem, after meeting with Foreign Minister Yair Lapid.
Ukraine, known as “Europe’s breadbasket” is the source of half of the grains imported into Israel, according to Dzhaparova.
“Cut your bread supply in half to understand how Israel will be affected,” she said.
Dzhaparova also pointed to the Israeli construction industry as likely to be negatively impacted by a war, because Israel imports a lot of metals from Ukraine. Hi-tech, which has outsourced thousands of jobs to Ukraine, is also likely to suffer.
“I think Israel should be involved in seeking a resolution to a greater extent,” Dzhaparova said. “With all due understanding of domestic concerns and the issues in Syria and Iran, [Israel has] large communities coming from the former Soviet Union.
“This is not the time for Israel to remove itself from the dossier. It is time to demonstrate greater involvement in seeking a peaceful resolution,” she added.
Dzhaparova said that she made these points in meetings with Israeli officials, including Lapid, whom she invited to visit Kyiv. The Foreign Ministry said on Sunday that no trip is currently planned.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last year asked Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and his predecessor Benjamin Netanyahu to try to mediate between him and Russian President Vladimir Putin, or between other officials, in light of the good relations Israel has with both countries. Both premiers offered, but Moscow refused.
Dzhaparova said she hopes Israel will support her country, in light of the Russian military buildup of about 100,000 soldiers on Ukraine’s borders. Ukrainian diplomats are focused on three kinds of support.
“The first is political solidarity with my country, explaining why this aggression cannot be allowed,” she said. “The second is economic sanctions…. In case Russia crosses the red lines, what will happen with regards to a deterrence mechanism?”
The third is most relevant to Israel: “There is great potential for cooperation between Israel and Ukraine on security issues. We believe that a secure Ukraine is a secure Europe and a secure region,” she said.
Dzhaparova said she thinks “there is potential and hope” following her meeting with Lapid.
In addition, she pointed out that Ukraine has “a very strong Jewish community,” which includes Zelensky and other members of his cabinet.
“This automatically brings higher expectations in assistance support help from the State of Israel,” she said. “This is something our society is waiting for.”
In light of recent comments by Zelensky to avoid actions motivated by panic, she was asked if Israel’s decision to evacuate diplomats’ families and call on its citizens to leave Ukraine immediately was an example of such an action. Dzhaparova responded diplomatically, saying it is Israel’s decision and that she will not try to influence it.
However, she said that travel warnings and evacuations “create chaos and panic,” and added that the government of Ukraine “calls to stay closer to the ground with respect to the information from Ukrainian intelligence services. In making these kinds of decisions, it is good to coordinate.”
Dzhaparova pointed out that “seven percent of the territory of Ukraine has been under occupation since 2014, and the consequences have been really awful in terms of violations in human rights and changes of demography. The Russians brought in half a million newcomers [to the Donbas]… which is a war crime.
“The war in Donbas is not a civil war as Russia claimed; it is a war with Russia,” she added, saying that Russia provides weapons, military coordination and soldiers, though Russia denies it.
Earlier this month, Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Yevgen Korniychuk took issue with comments by Lapid about the situation on his country’s borders. Lapid said in an interview with Walla News that he “doesn’t see a violent conflict happening soon. I don’t think a world war will break out.”
He also expressed concern that the tensions in Ukraine will distract Washington from Iran nuclear talks.
Korniychuk wrote on Facebook that Lapid “reiterates rhetoric of Russian propaganda.” The Foreign Ministry called the ambassador to Jerusalem for a reprimand.
The ambassador said that the meeting with Dzhaparova went well despite the incident and that Lapid said his comments were misunderstood.
Dzhaparova remarked that this was her first visit to Israel.
“I enjoyed walking in Jerusalem where you see a microcosm of world processes in just one kilometer. It was very important to see this firsthand,” she said.
Content retrieved from: https://www.jpost.com/international/article-696342.
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