Let's begin with the obvious: the Russian invasion of Ukraine is terrible and unacceptable. And yet, Israel's moral duty is to protect its fighters before anyone else. When morality and national interests clash, it is an opportune moment to discuss such things.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
Although I personally love using historical examples to try to explain the current events, when it comes to the war in Ukraine, I must raise a metaphorical black flag.
Comparisons to World War II take away from the complexity of the reality, such as Russia calling Ukraine's Jewish president, Volodymyr Zelesnkyy, and his government neo-Nazis, while Ukraine compares Russia's Vladimir Putin to Adolf Hitler and the invasion to Operation Barbarossa. Putin is a brutal dictator, but he is no Hitler, and Russia's claim that they are fighting Ukrainian Nazis is pathetic propaganda.
Take, for example, the bombing of the TV tower located near the Babi Yar memorial. According to Ron Ben-Yishai, Yedioth Ahronoth's correspondent in Kyiv, the actual monument was not hit at all. Nevertheless, Zelenskyy leveraged this to mobilize worldwide Jewry to speak up against Russia, by tweeting, "what is the point of saying 'never again' for 80 years, if the world stays silent when a bomb drops on the same site of Babi Yar?"
Ukraine's Ambassador to Israel Yevgeny Kornichuk took it even further when he claimed that "Ukrainians helped save Jews during WWII." Actually, Ukrainians eagerly cooperated with the Nazis. When it comes to cosmic karma, if there is such a thing, Israel surely owes nothing to the Ukrainian people. Quite the opposite, we are returning evil with good. In no way does Ukraine's dark past make the invasion justifiable, but neither should it be misused
A week and a half into the war, things in Israel seem to be progressing as usual. The same structured but imaginary split of the government continues. On the "right-wing" side is Prime Minister Naftali Bennett who has remained largely quiet on Ukraine and won't mention Russia by name.
On the other side, we find Foreign Minister Yair Lapid. The Left always plays the good cop. Lapid, with his special connection to the democratic government, has joined in the global condemnation of Russia and promised to set up a team to examine the possibility of sanctioning the Kremlin.
All this is just theatrics. Lapid himself knows that he is shackled and cannot go completely against Israel's interests. He can talk about values as much as he wants, but Lapid too operates within a complex reality. After all, there are no Iron Dome shipments to Ukraine or a ban on Russian flights landing at Ben-Gurion International Airport.
By the way, when speaking about the historical connection between morals and national interests, let us remember that the United States only joined the fight against Nazi Germany after Japan attacked its naval base at Pearl Harbor.
In the current war, although Washington has expressed support for Ukraine's safety, it has not changed things much militarily. Ukraine is left to fight Putin alone.
The West cannot stand up to a nuclear superpower. One of the things I understand from this story is that it cannot be wrapped up elegantly. Putin is determined, even if it will take destroying all of Ukraine. The Russian leader is unlikely to retreat with his tail between his legs. The Cuban missile crisis is a child's play compared to Putin's nuclear threats today.
The historical reasons that have led us to this situation are numerous and diverse. From all sides. It takes two to tango. Even when it comes to blood tango.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
