Fallout From U.N. Vote Reaches Kiev

Israel’s decision to cancel a visit from Ukraine’s prime minister triggered a summons of the Israeli ambassador to Kiev for a meeting to express the Foreign Ministry’s displeasure, on Monday.

The cancelation of Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman’s trip came amid a flurry of diplomatic reprisals launched by Israel against the countries that voted against it in the U.N. Security Council last Friday. Ambassadors or deputy ambassadors of all of the 15 Council members, including the United States, were summoned to the Israeli Foreign Ministry for “clarifications,” and ambassadors to Senegal and New Zealand, co-sponsors of the anti-Israel resolution, were recalled.

On Monday, Ukraine called in ambassador Eliav Belotserkovsky for a meeting in which Kiev told him of its “disappointment” at the “emotional reaction of some Israeli officials and politicians.”

Ukraine defended its decision to vote in favor of Resolution 2234 with an allusion to the Russian annexation of Crimea, noting that their country has “experienced itself the tragic consequences brought by” the violation of international law, implying a parallel between the Israeli presence in Yehuda and Shomron and Russian policies.

“That’s why our position was formed on the basis of our consistent line to ensure the respect for the international law by all its subjects,” the Ministry said in a statement.

Groysman, who became Ukraine’s first Jewish prime minister earlier this year, was scheduled to arrive in Israel on Tuesday for a two-day visit that would have included meetings with Netanyahu, President Reuven Rivlin and other top officials.