JERUSALEM, Israel – Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on Tuesday condemned Russia for committing “war crimes,” marking the first time an Israeli leader has explicitly raised such an accusation against Moscow.
“The ground is soaked with the blood of innocent civilians. The images and testimony from Ukraine are horrific. Russian forces committed war crimes against a defenseless civilian population. I strongly condemn these war crimes.”
The world reacted in horror this week after newly released images showed the bodies of Ukrainian civilians scattered across scorched streets in Bucha, a suburb of the capital of Kyiv.
Ukraine pointed to the hundreds of dead civilians as proof that Russia is committing a “genocide,” but Moscow denies executing civilians.
Earlier, Israel’s prime minister Naftali Bennett said he was “shocked” by the images from Bucha. However, he stopped short of calling the atrocities a war crime or blaming Russia.
Israel is one of the few countries in the world to have strong relations with both Russia and Ukraine. Bennett has emerged as a mediator between the two sides in the war.
To maintain good relations with Russia, Bennett has stopped short of condemning Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, Lapid has taken a harsher stance against Moscow.
Israel has rejected calls from Ukraine to provide defensive military aid to Ukrainian soldiers. However, Israel has sent several tons of humanitarian aid to Ukraine and opened a field hospital inside the country.
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