Israel has refused to sell arms and technology to Kyiv so as not to anger Russia. A stance that prompted Zelenskyy to openly challenge the Israeli government.
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The close relationships that have developed over the years between Israel and Russiaa and the resulting Israeli government decisions actually partially helped Moscow against Ukraine and weakened Kyiv. According to a joint report by the Guardian and the Washington Post, Israel has repeatedly refused to sell its own High tech hacking systems in Kyiv, precisely so as not to upset Russia. In particular, the reference to Pegasus Spywarea hightech tool capable of hacking any mobile phone and intercepting phone calls, but also reading text messages or viewing a user’s photos.
Pegasus and IsraeliRussian Relations
It is understood that in a conflict situation Pegasus could prove to be an essential tool to control enemy communications and thus have basic strategic advantages. According to the journalistic investigation, which was based on the testimonies of people with direct knowledge of the matter, for about three years Kyiv tried in every possible way to obtain Israeli technology other than the government Tel Aviv would always refuse the sale. The NSO group that makes the spyware, which is regulated by Israel’s Defense Ministry, was never authorized to market or sell the tool to Ukraine. The reasons for the refusal were apparently never formalized by Israel, but the specific suspicion is that Israel’s decision hinges on a desire not to anger Russia, which has always viewed selling such technology to its rival as a direct attack. After all, Moscow and Israeli intelligence have a long history of working together, and in the past, after selling Pegasus to Estonia, Tel Aviv warned Estonian officials that it would not allow spyware to be used against Russian targets.
Israel has refused to sell its missile system in Kyiv
Tel Aviv has never commented on the matter, apart from a note stating that “the State of Israel authorizes the export of IT products to government entities only, for lawful use and only for the purpose of preventing and investigating crime and fighting terrorism . “. Moreover, both before and after the start of the war in Ukraine, Israel placed itself under the condition of neutrality between the two countries and refused to sell its Iron Dome missile defense system to Kyiv. A stance that prompted Zelenskyy to openly challenge the Israeli government during his speech to the Israeli parliament, in which he asked why he didn’t want to give arms to Ukraine or impose sanctions on the Russians