At the time, Russia’s military presence in Syria, as well as the safety of those Jews who remained in the country after most had left in the last 35 years, provided a rationale for Jerusalem’s caution.
Zelenskyy also undermined his own case when, in a virtual address to the Knesset, he falsely claimed that Ukrainians stood with the Jews during the Holocaust when, in fact, they were among the most ardent and brutal collaborators with the Nazis
Any other world leader making such an egregious claim would have been denounced as a Holocaust denier But so great was the regard for Zelenskyy that it was largely ignored
The same was true when it comes to how Ukraine votes in the United Nations
As Israel’s ambassador to Ukraine said in 2023
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more often than not: Kyiv votes against Israel more than 90% of the time and has come down on the side of antisemitic discrimination at the world body
How then can Ukraine’s fans condemn Israel’s voting?
The collapse of Russia’s Syrian ally, coupled with Israel’s victory over Hezbollah and Iran, means that Israel no longer has to worry as much about Moscow’s military might next door
Though Trump’s victory in the 2024 elections returned a strong ally to the White House, the new administration’s flexing of its diplomatic muscles in the last month provides another reason for Israel to keep Ukraine at arm’s length
