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Israelis in Tel Aviv protesting Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 26, 2022. Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images.
Observation

February 28, 2022

Israel’s Ukraine Problem, and America’s

By Andrew Koss

The Jewish state has been criticized this week for not standing up for Ukraine against Russia. It would probably like to, but its hands have been tied by its own closest ally.

The eyes of the world are on Ukraine. Its borders have been overrun by a long-awaited Russian offensive, and its citizens are fighting for their freedom. Perhaps because the assault has been so brazen and proceeded so swiftly, even those who in the past might have been duped by the Kremlin’s specious claims that Russia is threatened by NATO enlargement or that an incursion is necessary to secure the rights of Ukrainian separatists (read: Russian agents) seem able to recognize that this is a conflict that pits a large and ruthless tyranny against a vulnerable pro-Western democracy.

While Israel has joined other countries in expressing sympathy for Ukraine and sending humanitarian aid, it is also one of many nations being criticized for not doing more. Last year, Kyiv reportedly requested access to its vaunted Iron Dome missile-defense system, which Israel has so far refused to share. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, for his part, has appeared reluctant to criticize Russian aggression. Some Westerners have reacted with outrage and looked with new eyes at Israel’s seemingly friendly attitude toward Russia over the last few years. (Back in 2016, the Washington Post spoke of Israel and Russia as “BFFs.”)

One such critic is Bruno Maçaes, a former Portuguese official and the acclaimed author of such books as History Has Begun and Geopolitics for the End Time. On February 24, within the first 24 hours of Russia’s full-scale invasion, he tweeted “Good day to remember this,” with “this” being Jerusalem’s reported refusal to provide Ukraine with the Iron Dome. A few hours later, Maçaes responded to a report that Bennett, in a speech to IDF cadets, had expressed “solidarity for the people of Ukraine” without actually condemning Russia by name. Maçaes’s comment? “Shameful. It too shall be remembered.”

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