{"id":136873,"date":"2025-05-06T12:18:44","date_gmt":"2025-05-06T09:18:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/136873\/"},"modified":"2025-05-06T12:18:46","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T09:18:46","slug":"minsks-overtures-to-israel-directed-at-trump","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/136873\/","title":{"rendered":"Minsk\u2019s overtures to Israel directed at Trump"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Minsk is seeking to improve ties with Jerusalem\u2014possibly as a strategic move to curry favor with the administration of Donald Trump.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n \"\"\n
\n
\n\n Tel Aviv\n <\/div>\n \n
\n (Shai Pal \/ unsplash.com)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In mid-January, Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka appointed Juryj Jara\u0161evi\u010d, former head of the foreign ministry\u2019s protocol service, as ambassador to Israel, replacing Ja\u016dhien Varabijo\u016d, who had led the diplomatic mission since 2019. The Belarusian leader expressed hope that the new ambassador would help establish “good relations” between the two countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frosty relations<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As ambassador to Israel, Varabijo\u016d found himself on the defensive. Many Israelis\u2014including those born in Belarus\u2014sympathized with peaceful protesters who were brutally repressed by the \u0141uka\u0161enka regime in 2020 and afterward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Jerusalem stopped short of officially criticizing Minsk for its crackdown, it also refrained from imposing sanctions\u2014despite pressure from the Biden administration\u2014over Belarus’ complicity in Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine. Nevertheless, Israel downgraded its diplomatic presence in Belarus to the level of charg\u00e9 d\u2019affaires, aligning with similar moves by the United States, EU and UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2022, Tzevy Mirkin took over as charg\u00e9 d\u2019affaires, replacing Ambassador Alex Goldman Shayman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite not cutting ties entirely, Israel\u2019s limited engagement with Minsk worked to its advantage in late 2021. Following a phone call from Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Belarus released Israeli lawyer Maya Rayten Stol, who had been arrested at Minsk Airport with 2.5 grams of marijuana and accused of drug smuggling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, relations cooled after 2020 due to controversial statements by \u0141uka\u0161enka, anti-Semitic tropes in Belarusian state propaganda and a state-promoted narrative of genocide against the Belarusian people, which appeared to downplay the Holocaust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minsk\u2019s more favorable treatment of Israel<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Despite the strained relationship, Minsk now appears to be seeking rapprochement. Israeli politicians may have noticed that, unlike Russia, Belarus has not restricted Jewish emigration to Israel since 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Belarusian propagandists\u2014such as Ryhor Azaronak and Andrej Mukavoz\u010dyk\u2014echoed Russian anti-Israeli narratives following the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023 and during the subsequent Gaza operation, the Belarusian government stopped short of fully endorsing Moscow\u2019s stance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opportunity for Jara\u0161evi\u010d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ambassador Jara\u0161evi\u010d has a chance to use his posting in Israel to advance his career, especially as international concern over Belarus\u2019 human rights abuses has receded. Minsk has also slightly adjusted its genocide narrative in response to criticism from Israel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following Israel\u2019s strong reaction to past anti-Jewish rhetoric from \u0141uka\u0161enka, the Belarusian leader has shown more restraint and has likely instructed his propagandists to moderate their language as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jara\u0161evi\u010d began his mission by attempting to charm Israeli officials. At a meeting with Herzog, he spoke of a “dialogue of cultures” and \u201cthe traditions of mutual respect and understanding, in the spirit of which the Belarusian and Jewish peoples have lived and are living.\u201d His overt show of sympathy for the Jewish people marked a notable departure from the usual tone of Belarusian diplomacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s press office issued friendly greetings filled with admiration for Jews on both Passover and Israel\u2019s Independence Day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bigger game: courting Washington<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Minsk\u2019s outreach to Israel may be part of a broader strategy to reengage with Washington. Belarusian state propaganda and many government officials still cling to a Cold War-era view\u2014prevalent in the Soviet Union and current in Russia\u2014that Jews wield significant influence over US policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This perception may have been reinforced by Washington\u2019s strong support for Israel and Trump\u2019s outspoken stance against antisemitism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of note, in its earlier coverage of Jura\u015b Ziankovi\u010d\u2014a Belarusian-American lawyer sentenced in September 2022 to 11 years for allegedly conspiring to seize power and released at Washington\u2019s request on April 30\u2014state propaganda emphasized his purported ties to Jewish organizations in the United States. More recently, however, Belarusian officials described him simply as 100-percent American, even omitting his Belarusian roots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both Ziankovi\u010d\u2019s release and Minsk\u2019s diplomatic outreach to Israel appear aimed at achieving the same objective: reestablishing engagement with Washington.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israeli politicians are aware of Minsk\u2019s overtures\u2014but also recognize that Belarus has broader motives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also read: Belarusian-US lawyer Ziankovi\u010d released<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Minsk is seeking to improve ties with Jerusalem\u2014possibly as a strategic move to curry favor with the administration of Donald Trump. In mid-January, Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka appointed Juryj Jara\u0161evi\u010d, former head of the foreign ministry\u2019s protocol service, as ambassador to Israel, replacing Ja\u016dhien Varabijo\u016d, who had led the diplomatic mission since 2019. The Belarusian leader expressed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":85001,"template":"","rubric":[22],"class_list":["post-136873","longreads","type-longreads","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","rubric-theviewer"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMinsk\u2019s overtures to Israel directed at Trump | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Minsk is seeking to improve ties with Jerusalem\u2014possibly as a strategic move to curry favor with the administration of Donald Trump. In mid-January,\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/136873\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Minsk\u2019s overtures to Israel directed at Trump | Pozirk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Minsk is seeking to improve ties with Jerusalem\u2014possibly as a strategic move to curry favor with the administration of Donald Trump. In mid-January,\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/136873\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pozirk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pozirkonline\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-06T09:18:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/tel_aviv_unsplash_shai_pal_1128x752.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1128\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"752\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Pozirk_online\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/136873\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/136873\/\"},\"headline\":\"Minsk\u2019s overtures to Israel directed at Trump\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-06T09:18:44+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-06T09:18:46+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/136873\/\"},\"wordCount\":684,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/136873\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/tel_aviv_unsplash_shai_pal_1128x752.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/136873\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/136873\/\",\"name\":\"Minsk\u2019s overtures to Israel directed at Trump | Pozirk\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/136873\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/136873\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/tel_aviv_unsplash_shai_pal_1128x752.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-06T09:18:44+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-06T09:18:46+00:00\",\"description\":\"Minsk is seeking to improve ties with Jerusalem\u2014possibly as a strategic move to curry favor with the administration of Donald Trump. In mid-January,\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/136873\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/136873\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/136873\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/tel_aviv_unsplash_shai_pal_1128x752.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/tel_aviv_unsplash_shai_pal_1128x752.jpg\",\"width\":1128,\"height\":752,\"caption\":\"\u0418\u043b\u043b\u044e\u0441\u0442\u0440\u0430\u0442\u0438\u0432\u043d\u043e\u0435 \u0444\u043e\u0442\u043e: unsplash.com \/ Shai Pal\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/136873\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Minsk\u2019s overtures to Israel directed at Trump\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/\",\"name\":\"Pozirk\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Pozirk\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/cropped-Logo_color_512.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/cropped-Logo_color_512.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Pozirk\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pozirkonline\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/Pozirk_online\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Minsk\u2019s overtures to Israel directed at Trump | Pozirk","description":"Minsk is seeking to improve ties with Jerusalem\u2014possibly as a strategic move to curry favor with the administration of Donald Trump. In mid-January,","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/136873\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Minsk\u2019s overtures to Israel directed at Trump | Pozirk","og_description":"Minsk is seeking to improve ties with Jerusalem\u2014possibly as a strategic move to curry favor with the administration of Donald Trump. In mid-January,","og_url":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/136873\/","og_site_name":"Pozirk","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pozirkonline\/","article_modified_time":"2025-05-06T09:18:46+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1128,"height":752,"url":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/tel_aviv_unsplash_shai_pal_1128x752.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@Pozirk_online","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/136873\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/136873\/"},"headline":"Minsk\u2019s overtures to Israel directed at Trump","datePublished":"2025-05-06T09:18:44+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-06T09:18:46+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/136873\/"},"wordCount":684,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/136873\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/tel_aviv_unsplash_shai_pal_1128x752.jpg","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/136873\/","url":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/136873\/","name":"Minsk\u2019s overtures to Israel directed at Trump | Pozirk","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/136873\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/136873\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/tel_aviv_unsplash_shai_pal_1128x752.jpg","datePublished":"2025-05-06T09:18:44+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-06T09:18:46+00:00","description":"Minsk is seeking to improve ties with Jerusalem\u2014possibly as a strategic move to curry favor with the administration of Donald Trump. In mid-January,","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/136873\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/136873\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/136873\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/tel_aviv_unsplash_shai_pal_1128x752.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/tel_aviv_unsplash_shai_pal_1128x752.jpg","width":1128,"height":752,"caption":"\u0418\u043b\u043b\u044e\u0441\u0442\u0440\u0430\u0442\u0438\u0432\u043d\u043e\u0435 \u0444\u043e\u0442\u043e: unsplash.com \/ Shai Pal"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/136873\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Minsk\u2019s overtures to Israel directed at Trump"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/","name":"Pozirk","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#organization","name":"Pozirk","url":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/cropped-Logo_color_512.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/cropped-Logo_color_512.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Pozirk"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pozirkonline\/","https:\/\/x.com\/Pozirk_online"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/longreads\/136873","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/longreads"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/longreads"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/85001"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=136873"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"rubric","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rubric?post=136873"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}