BICOM

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement last week condemning the Salisbury attack only after it was requested by British diplomats, it has been revealed.

According to the Times of Israel, Britain requested an official Israeli statement on the attack during a meeting between British Ambassador to Israel David Quarrey and Israeli National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabat on 14 March. A day later the Foreign Ministry issued a statement that said: “Israel views with gravity the event that occurred in Great Britain and condemns it vigorously. We hope that the international community will cooperate in order to avoid such further events.”

British diplomats expressed their disappointment with the Foreign Ministry statement on Tuesday and the Times of Israel quotes a British diplomat, who said: “We expect strong statements of support from all our close partners, Israel included.”

On 4 March ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal, who has been living in the UK since being released from a Russian prison in 2010, his daughter Yulia and a British police officer were poisoned with a rare and powerful military-grade nerve agent. The UK believes that the weapon was made in Russia and that the attack was carried out by the Russian state.

Israel’s vaguely worded statement was in marked contrast to statements by other British allies. In a rare joint statement, the US, France and Germany joined Britain last Thursday in blaming Russia for poisoning a former spy, calling the attack “the first offensive use of a nerve agent in Europe since the Second World War”.

The Russian Embassy in Israel published an official statement praising the Israeli government over its “wise position” regarding the Salisbury attack.

Yesterday Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated newly re-elected Russian President Vladimir Putin, hailing the two leaders’ “trust and understanding,” whilst avoiding criticising the vote itself, as many other Western countries did. “I deeply appreciate the personal dialogue between us, and I look forward to continuing to closely work together, in the spirit of the trust and understanding between us, to promote the vital interests of our countries,” he added.