Ukraine has threatened to impose sanctions on Israel amid a row over the berthing of a ship allegedly carrying “stolen” crops, which is waiting to dock at Haifa.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Israeli authorities of inaction after Haaretz reported that the Panormitis is carrying grain from Ukrainian territory occupied by Russia, with four similar shipments allegedly allowed into the country already this year.
“In any normal country, purchasing stolen goods is an act that entails legal liability,” he wrote on X.
"This applies, in particular, to grain stolen by Russia. Another vessel carrying such grain has arrived at a port in Israel and is preparing to unload. This is not – and cannot be – legitimate business.
"The Israeli authorities cannot be unaware of which ships are arriving at the country’s ports and what cargo they are carrying.”
"Ukraine has taken all necessary steps through diplomatic channels to prevent such incidents,” he added.
"Based on information from our intelligence services, Ukraine is preparing a relevant sanctions package that will cover both those directly transporting this grain and the individuals and legal entities attempting to profit from this criminal scheme.”
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha confirmed that he had summoned Israel’s ambassador to Kyiv, Michael Brodsky, to discuss the matter.
However, his Sybiha’s Israeli counterpart, Gideon Sa’ar, has insisted that the legal status of the ship’s cargo is yet to be determined and denied allegations that Israel was allowing stolen goods into its ports.
“Allegations are not evidence. Evidence substantiating the allegations have yet to be provided,” he wrote in reply.
"The matter will be examined. Israel is a state that abides by the rule of law with independent law enforcement authorities. All Israeli authorities will act in accordance with the law.”
And, in a subsequent statement, he explained: “Our director-general spoke with the Israel Tax Authority, which began an examination of the matter... The vessel has not entered the port and has yet to submit its documents.
"It is not possible to verify the truth of the Ukrainian claims regarding the forgery of the bill of lading. Up until this point, the Ukrainian government has not submitted a request for legal assistance. They submitted tweets.
"This [formal request] is required when the claims concern criminal acts committed abroad. Nor has the Ukrainian government provided evidence for its claims.
"We say again to our Ukrainian friends, if you have any evidence of threats, submit it through the appropriate channels.”
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