Cabinet ministers and MKs in Israel were unhappy with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's appeal to Israel on Sunday for aid following Russia's invasion of his country on Feb. 24. Zelenskyy spoke critically of Israel's policy on the war.
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"Just like you were wandering around the world, looking for safety, our people are now wandering the world. This is an unjust war, with Russian trying to destroy anything that makes Ukrainians who they are," Zelenskyy said. "Our history and your history are histories of survival," he continued. "Listen to what the Kremlin is saying, they're using the same terminology of the Nazi party. What they sought to destroy all of Europe, they didn't want to leave any of you, and now from of us. They called it the 'Final Solution.'"
After Zelenskyy's speech, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid tweeted: "I again condemn the assault of Ukraine and thank President Zelenskyy for sharing his feelings and the Ukrainian people's distress with MKs and the government. We will continue to assist the Ukrainian people as much as we can and we will never turn our backs to the plight of people who know the horrors of war."
Communications Minister Yoaz Hendel took a more aggressive line, saying, "I appreciate the president of Ukraine and support the Ukrainian people in my heart and through actions, but the terrible history of the Holocaust cannot be rewritten. A genocide was carried out on Ukrainian soil, as well. The war is terrible, but comparing it to the horrors of the Holocaust and the 'final solution' is outrageous."
MK Yuval Steinitz also criticized the speech. "They say you can't kick someone while they're down, but if the speech Zelenskyy – Ukraine's Jewish president – gave had been made in normal times, [people[ would say it bordered on Holocaust denial. War is always a terrible thing, and shelling and occupation of territory are something unbearably difficult for the Ukrainian people, but any comparison between a regular war, as hard as it might be, and the annihilation of millions of Jews in gas chambers as part of the 'final solution' is a complete perversion of history."
Steinitz also took issue with the claim that the Ukrainian people had helped Jews during World War II. "While it is true that there were thousands [of Ukrainians] who helped rescue Jews and were recognized as Righteous Among the Nations, the sad historical truth is that many more were excited to help the Nazis' project of rounding up and murdering Jews, and stealing their property.
"The historical truth is that the Ukrainian people cannot be proud of its conduct toward Jews and the Holocaust. None of this changes the fact that despite the infuriating use of the Holocaust [in Zelenskyy's speech], we must keep providing humanitarian help to the citizens of Ukraine who are suffering from the war, and pray that it ends quickly," Steinitz said.
MK Efrat Rayten (Labor) tweeted that the broadcast of Zelenskyy's speech had been a "complicated" event, "not only because of Zoom issues, but also because of Ukrainian President Zelenskyy's sharp words. Despite the difficulty, we must not forget that the president represents a country and millions of citizens who are fighting for their lives."
MK Michal Waldiger (Religious Zionist Party), tweeted: "Comparisons between what is happening in Ukraine now and what happened in the Holocaust are out of place. We understand and empathize with what is taking place in Ukraine – the comparison is infuriating, inappropriate, and downplays that horrors that took place in the Holocaust."
Waldiger's fellow party member MK Simcha Rotman tweeted: "I don't understand Ukrainian, but if the translation I heard was accurate, Zelenskyy asked us to treat the Ukrainians like they treated us 80 years ago. I'm sorry, I think we'll have to turn him down. We are a moral people, a light unto nations."
MK Eli Avidar (Yisrael Beytenu) said on Twitter: "President Zelenskyy's words were moving. Apathy does indeed kill. Mediation attempts are important, but cannot come at the expense of principles. We need to be on the side of good against evil. Our policy right now will not benefit us in the long term."
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
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