Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Ukrainian Ambassador Yevgen Korniychuk on Tuesday to express Jerusalem’s disapproval following Kyiv’s vote in favor of an anti-Israel resolution at the U.N. General Assembly.
The General Assembly Fourth Committee (also known as the Special Political and Decolonization Committee) on Nov. 11 passed a motion calling for the urgent rendering of an “advisory opinion” by the International Court of Justice on Israel’s “prolonged occupation, settlement and annexation of Palestinian territory.”
“It was made clear to the ambassador that this behavior does not reflect relations between friendly states who share values, especially in light of Israel’s support for Ukraine in a range of important U.N. resolutions and in wide humanitarian relief,” according to a Foreign Ministry statement released after the meeting with Korniychuk.
Ambassador Amir Weissbrod, head of the Foreign Ministry’s Bureau for U.N. and International Organizations, told Channel 11 that Ukraine’s vote was “outrageous” and Israel would not only summon the ambassador but “think of other ways to respond.”
Israel’s Ambassador to Ukraine Michael Brodsky also weighed in, saying: “The Ukrainian support for the decision that denies the Jewish connection to the Temple Mount and calls for the formulation of an opinion by the International Court of Justice is very disappointing. Support for anti-Israeli initiatives at the U.N. doesn’t help build trust between Israel and Ukraine.”
Ninety-eight countries supported the resolution, 52 abstained and 17 voted against it. The last time the ICJ weighed in on the conflict was in 2004 when it ruled that Israel’s security barrier was illegal.
A post on the Embassy of Ukraine in Israel’s Facebook page referred to the Tuesday meeting, but made no mention of Israel’s protest, saying only that Korniychuk expressed Kyiv’s “indignation” regarding Israel’s practice of denying Ukrainian citizens entry into Israel.
“In addition, the Ambassador expressed disappointment with the position of Israel, whose representative abstained during the vote in the U.N. General Assembly on the issue of Russian reparations payments to Ukraine,” the post said.
Israel abstained in a vote Monday on the non-binding resolution along with 73 other nations. It passed, 94-13.
