Israel's direct line to Putin casts it as an unlikely potential mediator in Russia's war on Ukraine
Israeli PM Naftali Bennett has had calls with both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky
Since Russia launched its war with Ukraine, only one Western leader has had face time with Vladmir Putin: Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
A little over a week after the Russian president had ordered the launch of missile and artillery attacks into Ukraine territory, Bennett flew to Moscow to hold a meeting with Putin. But later that day, Bennett also spoke on the phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
And now, it's Bennett, who according to a report in the Financial Times, has been "the primary international mediator" in negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, as they try to hammer out a peace deal.
This open dialogue Bennett has with both leaders highlights the distinctive, yet delicate position Israel finds itself in when it comes to the war in Ukraine. It is now seen as potentially playing a mediator-type role in trying to end the war, but it has also been called out for not taking a stronger stance against the invasion.
"We're in a situation where tiny Israel has all of a sudden become this pivot in the potential Cold War rematch," said Shalom Lipner, who was an advisor for seven consecutive Israeli premiers over a quarter-century at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem.
"Nobody would have seen that coming."
Israel toeing 'very delicate line'
"It's turned out that Israel has been the rare exception that's become acceptable to both sides," he said.
While Israel remains a staunch ally of the United States, circumstances in the Middle East over the past decade have led it to carve out its own co-operative relationship with Russia.
That has led to a situation where "Bennett, unlike probably any other Western leader, can hop on a flight like he did two weekends ago and travel to Moscow and meet Putin in person," said Neri Zilber, a Tel Aviv-based journalist covering Middle East politics and an adjunct fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
However, it also means that Israel is "trying to toe a very delicate line between, you know, moral and humanitarian support to Ukraine, while also safeguarding a few vital strategic interests, as the government sees it, vis-a-vis Russia."
Since the conflict began, Bennett has met with Putin once, and spoken on the phone with him twice. Meanwhile, Bennett has had six calls with Zelensky, the Associated Press reported.
On Monday evening, Bennett left a cabinet meeting in order to hold back-to-back phone calls with Putin and Zelensky, Reuters reported. The call with Putin lasted for roughly an hour and a half.
"Israel will continue to act to prevent bloodshed and bring the sides from the battlefield to the conference table," Bennett said this week.
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Mediator or go-between?
Despite Bennett's access to both leaders, it still remains unclear how far his role as a so-called mediator may extend.
"It'd be a little bit exaggerated to say that he's going to broker a deal between between Ukraine and Russia," Lipner said.
However, there is still merit in having Israel act as a potential go-between, "trying to kind of narrow gaps between the two sides," as well as relaying whatever Putin says to Israel's Western allies, Zilber said.
"I think that a more and more realistic role is really this kind of a role as a go between rather than full on mediator," said Vera Michlin-Shapir, who previously worked on Israel's National Security Council.
"Someone who can go and … speak to both sides in a more amicable way, even just to get a better feel of the situation. That's quite a lot. It's not nothing."
Israel co-ordination with Russia in Syria
Israel's current relationship with Russia has been forged out of Russia's military presence in Syria. Russia has backed Syrian President Bashar Assad in the civil war in that country, and has established a military presence there. Yet Israel has continued to carry out attacks against Hezbollah and Iranian backed targets in Syria, which has necessitated Russia working with Israel to ensure its military is spared from hits.
As well, the countries have worked out what's known as a deconfliction mechanism between the Israeli Air Force and the Russian Air Force to ensure clashes are avoided.
"[There] have been very frequent meetings and co-ordination on that specific issue," said Gerald Steinberg, professor emeritus of political science at Bar-Ilan University.
"It's not at all unusual for Israeli prime ministers — in the past it was [Benjamin] Netanyahu — now Mr. Bennett, to fly to Moscow on those issues. They know Putin. And Putin knows the Israeli leadership.
"It is not completely out of the blue that Bennett would go and talk to Putin in what was described as some sort of third party, perhaps mediation. So Israel is in a relatively unique position."
Israel also has a large expatriate population of Russians and Ukranians, and there are thousands of dual citizens, both Russian and Israeli and Ukranian and Israeli, Steinberg said, noting there's also a Jewish community in Russia.
"So there's been that dialogue. Putin has always taken an interest in the expat community in Israel," he said.
Bennett criticized for reluctance to condemn Russia
However, Bennett's reaction to the conflict has prompted some criticism against the Israeli prime minister, accusing him of being reluctant to condemn Russia's aggression.
While Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid has repeatedly condemned Russia's invasion, Bennett's criticism has been muted.
"It was criticized and there was criticism from within Israel. Lots of pressure from the United States in particular. You have an invasion of a country [that's a] democracy and Israel was sitting on the side," Steinberg said.
Israel has delivered humanitarian aid to Ukraine, but has not joined its Western allies in sending military assistance or imposing sanctions on Russia.
Steinberg said Israel is in a position where it doesn't want to anger Putin and lose the co-ordination it has regarding Syria, which is vital to their security. But at the same time, he said it wants to fulfil its sense of obligation toward a fellow democratic country like Ukraine.
Israel did vote in the UN General Assembly to condemn Russia. Meanwhile, Israel says it is working to prevent Moscow's oligarchs, some of whom also hold Israeli passports, from showing up and turning the country into a haven for sanctions evasion, the Washington Post reported.
Israel's position has 'limited horizon'
However, Lipner suggested that Israel's current position of trying to play both sides, or "dance between the raindrops" has a "limited horizon."
"I don't know that Israel could afford to sustain a position like this where there are questions about where allegiances lie."
If the conflict drags on and no tangible progress is made toward a deal, or there's a perception that Putin is just playing Bennett as he continues his war objectives, "the jig will be up."
"At that point I don't think that anybody will tolerate sort of any equivocation," Lipner said.
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With files from The Associated Press and Reuters