Israel will not act as a bypass channel of sanctions for Russia imposed by the West, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said Monday, according to a report by Globes.
In a meeting with Slovakian Foreign Minister Ivan Korcok, Lapid said that “Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs was coordinating the issue of sanctions on Russia and working on the matter with the Bank of Israel, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Economy and Industry, Israel Airports Authority, the Ministry of National Infrastructures, Energy and Water Resources and other bodies,” according to the report.
The report noted that to date, “the Israeli government has issued no instructions or regulations regarding these sanctions, and there are no guidelines regarding wealthy Russian businesspeople on whom sanctions have been imposed,” adding that “Lapid’s statement today was the first clear message on the issue by a senior Israeli political figure.”
Lapid said Israel condemns Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and called for the war to stop.
“There is no justification for violating the territorial independence of Ukraine, and there is no justification for attacking civilian populations,” he said.
“This war has to stop. Europe has known many wars, and the only thing that they achieved was terrible suffering,” stated Lapid. “In recent years, there has been peace in Europe, and this has resulted in prosperity the likes of which mankind had not previously known.”
