Any war, anywhere, is always Israel’s fault.
Daniel Greenfield, a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the Freedom Center, is an investigative journalist and writer focusing on the radical Left and Islamic terrorism.
A war is raging three thousand miles away from Jerusalem between two nations that share no borders with Israel, and in which it has no troops, no interests, and no involvement.
And yet somehow the war between Russia and Ukraine has come to be about Israel.
“Israel Needs to Make Up Its Mind on Ukraine,” a Foreign Policy Magazine op-ed blares as if the Jewish State were somehow a major player in a war between two much larger countries thousands of miles away. It’s as absurd as demanding that the Dominican Republic (which is still larger than Israel) make up its mind on the border clashes between India and China.
“Israel’s reaction to #Ukraine will have bearing on future aid from the US to #Israel,” Rep. Adam Kinzinger warned on Twitter. Whatever “bearing” it has won’t come from the Never Trumper ex-Republican who is retiring after becoming unelectable. But that hasn’t stopped him, or assorted politicians and media outlets, from threatening Israel anyway.
“Ukraine asked Israel – no bigger fan of Israel than Lindsey Graham – for Stingers, and apparently Israel said no,” Senator Graham said. “So I’m going to get on the phone with Israel – you know, we stand up for Israel with the Iron Dome.”
The only thing more baffling than why Graham felt the need to refer to himself in the third person is why the senator is demanding that Israel supply U.S. missiles to Ukraine. Isn’t that his job?
Despite Israel delivering 230 tons of humanitarian aid, including bulletproof ambulances, setting up a field hospital, and taking in thousands of refugees, the pressure campaign insists that it isn’t doing enough. And that the war not only involves Israel, but the outcome depends on it.
There’s notably much less interest in India, a country of 1.3 billion, which buys Russian oil, has close ties to Russia, and refused to condemn the invasion, than in Israel, a country of 6.5 million, which doesn’t buy Russian oil and did vote to condemn the invasion at the UN.
No matter what the position on the war is, the consensus is that Israel is doing the wrong thing.
The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, a Soros-Koch project that attacks America for being too tough on China, Iran, and Russia, demanded to know, “Why is Israel MIA on Ukraine-Russia crisis?” The outrage at Israel for not being involved enough in the Ukraine crisis is being directed by the same leftist-libertarian group that is warning against America getting involved with articles like, “Washington Should Think Twice Before Launching a New Cold War”.
The Catch 22 hypocrisy is as obvious as the hate. If Israel is involved in a war, it’s evil, but if it’s not involved in a war, it’s also evil. Whatever Israel does or doesn’t do is an outrage.
The hatred of Israel never had anything to do with the so-called “Palestinians”, the Arabs, Muslims, or anyone in the Middle East. That’s why the same political interests are capable of taking a war in Ukraine thousands of miles away and making it all about the Jewish State.
The Ukraine war has trotted out the familiar toolbox of tropes with the insistence that Israel somehow has the ability to resolve a war it didn’t make, even as Israel’s Prime Minister Bennett scrambles around on the impossible mission of bringing peace to people who don’t want it.
There’s the Holocaust inversion with Zelensky and assorted critics depicting Ukraine as the new Jews facing a new Holocaust, with the Jews now reinvented as the unfeeling bystanders. And that leads to the anti-Zionist contention that Israel’s nationhood is at odds with “Jewish values”.
“Ukraine War Ignites Israeli Debate Over Purpose of a Jewish State,” the New York Times argued, complaining that Israel hadn’t taken in enough refugees after it took in 15,000.
(The number of Ukrainian refugees taken in by the New York Times is estimated at zero.)
Compare that to France, which took in 26,000 Ukrainian refugees, despite being ten times the size of Israel. But France, like India, isn’t full of Jews. And so there’s no contention that France which, proportionally took in far less refugees than Israel, should just stop existing.
The magical ability to make any war anywhere about Israel with the same set of familiar anti-Zionist tropes shows that these arguments were never contextual responses to regional conflicts, but a general opposition to the existence of Israel regardless of anything else.
Whatever war is going on wherever, it’s Israel’s fault and evidence that it shouldn’t exist.
The media’s attempts to link Israel to the war in Ukraine are often so tenuous as to take on their own form of surreal absurdity.
NPR found it vitally important to write an entire story based around the fact that there was a bar named the Putin Pub in Jerusalem (it’s since been renamed). When a media outlet is this desperate to negatively connect Israel to the Ukraine war, the agenda is clear.
(This is the same media outlet which claimed that it didn’t want to report on Hunter Biden’s laptop because, “We don’t want to waste our time on stories that are not really stories.”)
Ukraine’s government has colluded in the international hate campaign against Israel.
Zelensky and his government have berated Israel, exploited the Holocaust and demanded everything from Iron Dome (designed to stop crude rockets shot by terrorists, not a full assault by a world power) and the Pegasus cyberwarfare tool (it won’t stop Russian tanks), pushing for Israeli sanctions on Russia even while his government refuses to stop doing business with Iran.
In the latest bid, the Ukrainian government is demanding security guarantees from Israel, despite the fact that Israel is a country of 8,600 square miles while Ukraine encompasses 233,000 square miles. Ukraine is not only vastly bigger than Israel, it has seven times Israel’s population. That’s like Canada demanding security guarantees from Cyprus.
But that’s just the ex-comedian doing what he does. In his lecture to Congress, Zelensky invoked Pearl Harbor and 9/11, when addressing the Arabs, he brought up Syria, while speaking to the Japanese parliament, he called the Russian invasion a “tsunami” and referenced Japan’s nuclear disaster. The shallow formula of namechecking deep traumas in other countries while linking them to Ukraine and complaining they’re not doing enough to stop history from repeating itself has become a trite routine to anyone actually paying attention.
It’s the media’s fault for gleefully weaponizing Zelensky’s pressure campaign and amplifying outright antisemitism from leftists and Islamists who are happily exploiting the narrative.
Continuing his virtual world tour, Zelensky phoned in to Qatar’s Doha Forum. The Emir of the Islamic terror state of Qatar had opened the event by comparing “Palestinians” to Ukraine.
The Al Thani scion allied with Iran and Hamas then complained that, “The accusation of anti-Semitism is now used wrongly against everyone who criticizes Israel’s policies.”
Or, like Qatar’s Al Jazeera propaganda channel, broadcasts raw uncut antisemitism.
Back home the propaganda campaign against Israel is offset with weapons-grade levels of hypocrisy as bad actors tied to totalitarian regimes berate Israel over Russia and Ukraine.
William Cohen, Bill Clinton’s Secretary of Defense, went on CNN to rant to Christiane Amanpour that he was “deeply disappointed” with Israel. Cohen (despite his last name, he’s a Unitarian) and Amanpour both have a long history of hating Israel. And taking cheap shots at it.
“Are you with the Russians or are you with the United States and the West? They do have to make a decision here,” Cohen railed.
Amanpour neglected to mention that the Cohen Group has an office in Beijing, that Cohen serves on the Board of Directors of the U.S.-China Business Council and that his group includes “Chinese nationals with extensive experience in Chinese government ministries”.
The Cohen Group also boasts of “decades of experience working with officials in Moscow”, and “building relationships with government decision makers”.
Two years ago, Cohen was claiming that “President Putin is going to try and step in and be the peacemaker here” between America and Iran.
“I’m a bit more optimistic that the Russians will come in as a peacemaker,” he told CNBC.
This exciting new hatred of Israel is not about Ukraine, any more than the old variety was about the “Palestinians.” Hating Israel is in the end always about one thing and one thing alone.
Hating Jews.
somehistory says
They get up in the morning with a headache and it is the fault of Israel and the Jews everywhere.
In the *minds*…what passes for that organ…of these haters, they see Israel as the philistines saw Israel in ancient times. In ancient times, even the relatives of the Hebrews hated and schemed against them, even to the point of turning fleeing Jews over to the enemies intent on killing all whom they caught. (from the sons of Lot, nephew of Abraham, by his two daughters, the moabites and ammonites to babylonian soldiers)
This is a continuation of those times. People often need someone to blame for their troubles. This is esp true for weak individuals, but also for the psychopaths among mankind…and there are many…who never accept responsibility for their own shortcomings and failures. They make the Jews their favorite target because they wish to destroy that nation and people.
The hatred began when satan decided to try to be god and God *chose* a people (that became a nation) to represent His Laws and to demonstrate how they were superior to any offered by the devil.
The devil is still around and still hates, using humans as he has done for centuries of time to malign and murder.
Doomer says
It is CLOWN world. Another case is that the Zelensky regime ask that businesses
Eliminate the Letter Z
from their LOGOS.
1. The letter Z is written on countless Russian tanks and numberless cars in Russia and the Donbass have it.
2. Even though it is NOT part of the Cyrillic alphabet: the sound Z there is represented by the NUMBER 3. Z= 3
3. The symbol of Zurich bank in Switzerland is Z: they have eliminated it.
But it goes further: it means they want AMAZON ( logo of that company) should become AMAON, and ZARAH brand should become ARAH.
gravenimage says
Nothing wrong with showing solidarity with Ukraine. But I doubt that Zelensky is going to start calling himself “Elensky”.
Doomer says
That is true. Nobody really knows what Z means,some say it means “for”, meaning “for victory”
gravenimage says
Yes–I’ve heard several reasons for Russia using the “Z”, but none of them seem to make much sense.
Doomer says
According to Alex Christoforou,who along with Alexander Mercouris, separately, and together , in their daily analysis called “The Duran”,
provide the utter best info on what is going on in the world:
PAKISTAN is also joining the economic block that has formed between India,China,Russia and Iran.
And it has been decided that China and Pakistan will both help out AFGHANISTAN in rebuilding its economy. So soon Afghanistan will be in.
IRAK is just a puppet of Iran, it will be in soon.
And other sources say NICARAGUA is willing to join.
Now for what Alex and others say about MARIUPOL:
1. The Azov group, several thousand, is now in the industrial zone there. Full of factories.
2. Russia does NOT want to destroy the factories, since they are vital for the economy of Mariupol.
3. It seems the idea is to starve them.
4. Alex says there is something strange going on: the Kiev regime has sent THREE helicopters to RESCUE what seem to be very,very important people
stuck there.
They have been shot down at night, in one night one was shot down as it was taking off with people.
Another night: 2 came,were allowed to land, and to take off. Both shot down.
In 1 all died, in the other 2 survived and they are being interrogated as to WHO Kiev is so desperately trying to save.
Alex also said the president of FRANCE phoned Putin to please let some people leave by helicopter. If they are just Azov commanders, why such panic by Kiev and France?
Alex said it could be there are NATO commanders there.
Others say it could TOP AMERICAN military commanders: since PATRICK LANCASTER,who is an independent journalist interviewing in Mariupol,
was talking with a man there.
The man was angry with him when he realized he was an American and was like blaming him for the destruction. People say it could be there were important American military officials
with Azov ,had been in the area before , and the man noticed they were English-speakers. Americans,but very important, not ordinary volunteers of no importance ,from the US.
It is in Alex Christoforou’s video:
“Azovstal failed helicopter evacuation. US sends warning to India. Letter ‘V’ canceled. Update 1”
gravenimage says
So Russia *starving* the Ukrainians is OK? Seems they did that before–the Soviets with the horrifying war crime the Holodomor in the 1930s.
SAFI says
Technically the Holodomor wasn’t a war crime, it was rather a “peace crime” (since it took place during peacetime) which some would argue that in fact makes it much worse.
And “The Duran” which Doomer mentioned above and its contributors sole purpose since I first noticed these guys on youtube, has been to fanatically shill for Putin’s Russia alongside pushing anti-US, pro Assad and pro China “analysis”. Even their logo overtly invokes the Russian double-headed eagle (as if their bias wasn’t obvious enough without it) so I would take anything they have to say with a huge grain of salt.
gravenimage says
SAFI, you are right that part of Ukraine had been seized by the Soviets at the time of the Holodomar. Many Soviets did not consider the Ukrainians to actually be Russian, though. You may cavil about whether the Holodomor was a war crime, but it *certainly* was an atrocity.
And you are right about The Duran.
I can’t find it now, but Doomer recently was lauding *The Electronic Intifada”, which main purpose is the Jihad destruction of Isreal. Big fans of JIhad terrorists Hamas. *Ugh*.
gravenimage says
Ukraine Shows Hating Israel Isn’t About the Palestinians
………………
Yes, this is all absurd. Israel has nothing to do with Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Roland says
I saw Christiane Amanpour demand of William Cohen why Israel wasn’t on the same page with Biden on Russia and Ukraine. Likewise, I saw Joe Scarborough likewise indignantly demand an explanation from US diplomat Richard Haas. Why are two American public officials with tenuous Jewish roots expected to answer for Israel? This is a well-orchestrared pressure campaign against Israel. Meanwhile, the Biden-Blinken Administration is knifing Israel in the back in (1) the Iran negotiations and undermining Israel in (2) the never ending Palestine Jihad?
James Lincoln says
So, according to the feature article:
“Whatever Israel does or doesn’t do is an outrage.”
Yes.
That is why Israel should put Israel First – always.
Doomer says
According to Alex Christoforou:
1.There is another example of Biden’s destruction of the US:
He failed to convinced Iran,Venezuela and Saudi Arabia to send more oil, so instead of fracking again,
he has decided to USE the OIL reserves stored up in America: 1 MILLION barrels oil per DAY. And when the oil that is stored is gone?
2. Russia has decided to accept GOLD in exchange for its commodities: wheat, fertilizers, oil, gas, metals, if the other country has not the rubles for it.
3. The gas crisis in Europe seems to be ending, they are coming to agree to do it like THIS:
they will have to obligatorily open a bank account INSIDE Russia,in a Russian bank. They deposit in euros, which the bank will convert to rubles.
That way the money stays in Russia, no foreign government can freeze or steal the money.
4. The RUBLE was at 80 to the dollar BEFORE the war, then when the full sanctions took place,
it became 140 rubles=1 dollar.
Now it is at 85 rubles=1 dollar.
Gonzalo Lira had predicted that ( I heard it on his show 1 month ago),
he said smart people were buying a ton of rubles at 140, knowing it would become strong again,
and they have made like an 80% profit.
He meant they knew Europe depended too much on Russian gas, the ruble was bound to recover.
Infidel says
Israel has nothing to do w/ the Russo-Ukraine war. The only reason they have to be careful at all about offending the Kremlin are all those Russian troops in Syria. But otherwise, Israel is as entitled to be as nuanced about the war as it wishes
William Cohen was a RINO, and one of the architects of the policy of not doing anything to change our foreign policy given the disappearance of the Soviet Union. He’s one of the last people who should be listened to here
Clive Delmonte says
The grass outside my house is green. That’s obviously Israel’s fault. The sky outside is blue. That’s very obviously Israel’s fault.
The true is that the Russians have a warm water naval base on the Syrian coast and the Russians have a military presence inside Syria.
Israel has to proceed during this Ukraine adventure with extreme caution.
JDow says
Rod Steiger as Mr. Nazzarman sums it all up nicely. It’s from when Hollywood was more honest and better educated, 1964.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5clBF38sqqw
People hate other people’s success.
{o.o}