Ukraine’s ambassador to Israel, Yevgen Korniychuk, angrily left a diplomatic event organized by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar at the Western Wall last on Thursday after noticing that Russia’s ambassador to Israel was also in attendance, according to accounts from those involved.
Korniychuk said he was not informed in advance that Russian Ambassador Anatoly Viktorov would attend the event. Ukraine and Russia have been at war for nearly four years, and Korniychuk does not attend events where his Russian counterpart is present. He left before a planned group photograph with Saar and other ambassadors that would have included Viktorov.
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Ambassadors to Israel line up for a group photo at the Western Wall
(Photo: Ronen Horesh)
The event was a Hanukkah candle-lighting ceremony initiated by Saar following the massacre of members of the Jewish community in Sydney, where 15 people were killed. The ceremony was held at the Western Wall and included Rabbi of the Western Wall Shmuel Rabinovitch. According to the Foreign Ministry, ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions from around the world were invited.
A total of 28 ambassadors and heads of missions were invited, but only 10 ambassadors attended. All invited ambassadors from European Union countries declined to attend, except for the Czech ambassador to Israel.
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said that “dozens of ambassadors from countries around the world” took part in the event and that among those who participated in the candle lighting were the ambassadors of Russia, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Chile, Ethiopia, Thailand, Ecuador, Panama, Nepal, Georgia and Kazakhstan. Prior to the ceremony, the ambassadors participated in a tour of the Western Wall tunnels and nearby archaeological sites organized by the Foreign Ministry.
Korniychuk said he was unaware that Viktorov had been invited. He said he briefly shook hands with Saar, who asked how he was doing, but left immediately after noticing the Russian ambassador.
“If there were a diplomatic event in Kyiv, we would warn the Israeli ambassador in Ukraine that the Iranian charge d’affaires would be attending, and we would not put him in such an embarrassing situation,” Korniychuk said. He conveyed his displeasure to senior officials at the Foreign Ministry, saying he should have been informed in advance.
Two weeks earlier, Korniychuk was summoned for a reprimand at the Foreign Ministry after criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an interview with ynet. Korniychuk objected to a speech Netanyahu delivered in the Knesset praising his relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is widely reviled in Ukraine. ynet also reported that Viktorov, the Russian ambassador, expressed displeasure over the Ukrainian ambassador’s invitation to the Western Wall event.
The Foreign Ministry rejected claims that there was any protest or walkout. “Twenty-eight ambassadors and heads of missions arrived at the candle-lighting event at the Western Wall,” the ministry said in a statement. “We thank all the ambassadors who honored the occasion and attended, including the ambassadors of Ukraine and Russia. The minister even noted the presence of both in his remarks. No protest was received at the ministry, and we did not notice that anyone left the event.”