The day after his surprise trip to Moscow and Berlin, Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has a full program again. On Sunday morning he assembled the ministers of his complicated coalition in Jerusalem for the weekly cabinet meeting. In the afternoon he rushed to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport to welcome Ukrainian refugees. He saved himself more detailed explanations about his mediation mission in the Ukraine war. The only thing he could elicit was that this was a “moral obligation” for Israel.
Bennett spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin for three hours on Saturday. He appeared there as the first politician from a democratic state since the Russian attack on Ukraine. Bennett then flew to Berlin to see Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD). On the way he phoned French President Emmanuel Macron. According to Israeli sources, the trip, which was previously kept top secret, had also been agreed with the United States. He had “the blessing and encouragement of all players,” Bennett said at the beginning of the cabinet meeting.
With his coattails flying, Israel’s prime minister has thrust into a global political vacuum as a mediator, and he has brushed aside, at least for the time being, all criticism that he has not publicly positioned himself unequivocally on the side of the West. Over the past few days, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has also expressed increasing disappointment with Bennett, who has avoided any condemnation of Russia as far as possible. During the visit to Moscow, Bennett called Zelensky three times within 24 hours. The content remained secret.
Bennett himself dampened expectations of his placement. Every attempt must be made, “even if the chances are not great”. He described the situation in Ukraine as threatening. “Human suffering is terrible and threatens to get worse,” he said, promising: “We will continue to help as long as we are asked.” And that could well be the case. In Berlin, the Israeli prime minister’s efforts to mediate are not associated with huge expectations. But they are taken seriously. During the Chancellor’s inaugural visit last Wednesday, Scholz and Bennett discussed the pros and cons of the Israeli traveling to Moscow. From Scholz’s point of view, there was a lot to be said for it.
Scholz and Bennett on the same wavelength
According to Berlin, the role of at least a potential peace mediator, which is unusual for an Israeli prime minister, results from a special constellation. Although Israel belongs to the West that Putin hates, Bennett is neither European nor American. Bennett’s military background is also an advantage for a talk with Putin. In addition, there is a large Russian-speaking population – and a good connection to the Ukrainian President Zelensky. At least theoretically a perfect middle position. In addition, Scholz and Bennett seem to be on the same wavelength. This could already be felt in Jerusalem.
Bennett was eagerly awaited in Berlin on Saturday evening because any contact with Putin, any indication of his current state of mind is currently considered extremely important. Any detail could give an indication of how harsh economic sanctions affect Putin, what his next steps are, and how far he is willing to go in his war of aggression. In any case, after the phone calls between French President Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Scholz and the head of the Kremlin, the concern that Putin could be willing to do almost anything to break the military resistance in Kyiv does not seem to have diminished.
For the stopover in Berlin, Bennett arrived with some delay. In accordance with his habit, Putin had made him wait in Moscow. The meeting in the Chancellery began shortly before 11 p.m. We spoke in a small circle for 90 minutes. “It was agreed to remain in close contact on the matter – the common goal remains to end the war in Ukraine as quickly as possible,” said government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit dryly. In any case, Bennett did not bring a plan for a truce with him.