A Ukrainian delegation, adorned with the colors of the national flag, prays in front of the Western Wall in Jerusalem on April 1, 2022. MAHMOUD ILLEAN v AP
Israelis and Palestinians today, despite what stands against them, share a similar turmoil at the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Israel has dared to defy its American ally by refusing to join Western sanctions against Moscow to protect both the sensibilities of its Russian-born population and the interests of dual-citizen oligarchs. The mediation attempt initiated by Prime Minister Bennett on March 5 failed. And two weeks later, President Zelensky was only able to address Zoom-connected Israeli MPs because they refused to break their parliamentary recess to hear him at a special session in the Knesset. As for the Palestinian Authority, no more than Hamas has it unequivocally condemned Russian aggression and maintained yearning for a world where the Kremlin’s influence could offset that of the White House. The Ukraine crisis reveals deep contradictions within both peoples.
Israel and refugees… Gentiles
The Russian oligarchs, who were able to obtain Israeli citizenship because of their Jewish origins, can count on the protection of their second home, even if they do not reside there permanently. This is the well-known case of the wealthy Roman Abramovich, who also multiplied international guarantees until he intervened alongside the Turkish authorities during mediation between Russia and Ukraine on March 29. Less well known is billionaire Viktor Vekselberg, whose magnificent yacht has just been confiscated in the Balearic Islands and who funded the start-up of current Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz until 2018. In general, these Russian-Israeli oligarchs know that their interests are protected in Israel, which has become a haven comparable to the Middle East’s only emirate, Dubai. Another not insignificant factor in the rapprochement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.
The conflict in Ukraine had also raised expectations of a new wave of aliyah, Jewish immigration to Israel estimated at hundreds, even two hundred thousand people from Ukraine and Russia. But the majority of Jewish refugees who fled Ukraine have so far chosen to settle in Germany. After a month of conflict, Israel had attracted only 15,000 Ukrainian refugees, less than a third of whom could claim aliyah. The Bennett administration eventually decided to relax its policy towards non-Jewish Ukrainians, who were sometimes stranded for hours upon arrival while their host family was supposed to post bail and ensure their departure from Israel after a month. These heated debates were reminiscent of the outdoing of Netanyahu, who in 2017 blamed all the ills on thousands of immigrants who came illegally from Eritrea and Sudan and only granted ten of them refugee status, while preferring to send the others to Rwanda and deport Uganda.
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