War torn Ukraine Supports Israel, Russia Muted In Its Response After Attacks Kill Hundreds
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
KYIV/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – The president of war torn Ukraine says Israel’s “right to defense is beyond question” after hundreds of Israelis were killed in the worst Palestinian terror attack in years, but not everyone agrees.
Volodymyr Zelensky, himself of Jewish descent, said in a statement issued by his office that there had been “appalling news from Israel.”
In remarks seen by Worthy News, he added: “I extend my condolences to all those whose loved ones were killed in the terrorist attack.
We believe that order will be restored and terrorists will be eliminated.”
The president, whose nation was invaded by Russia last year, stressed that “Terror must not be given a single chance anywhere in the world because terror is always a crime not just against one country or its specific victims, but against humanity as a whole and our entire world.”
Whoever “uses terror commits a crime against the world. Whoever sponsors terror commits a crime against the world,” he said. “The world must stand in unity and solidarity so that terror never attempts to conquer or destroy life anywhere.”
His remarks were condemned by critics calling for an end to support for Ukraine and blaming the West’s alleged “hypocrisy” towards Israel.
Columbian President Gustavo Petro, among others, claims Israel attacks Palestinians, though Israel’s government maintains it responds to terror attacks.
UN INVOLVED?
Petro urged the United Nations to call for two peace conferences on Ukraine and Palestine immediately. He referred to remarks he made to the U.N. on September 19 when he said
peace conferences are necessary.
He stressed these peace gatherings are needed not because there are no other conflicts in the world but “because the varied response to them shows the hypocrisy of political practice.”
Petro condemned the Ukraine-supporting president of the European Union’s executive European Commission for saying, “Israel has the right to defend itself against such heinous attacks.”
The Columbian leader accused Ursula von der Leyen of “encouraging a vengeful response” by Israel in a statement on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. He then shared videos of the Israeli military dropping missiles on Palestinians.
Ukraine’s arch-rival Russia was also more muted in its support for Israel, calling on all sides to implement an “immediate” ceasefire. Additionally, Russia and its ally Turkey called for a “two-state solution to the conflict.”
The two countries want the establishment of an independent Palestinian state in what they view as internationally recognized 1967 borders with a capital in East Jerusalem that “co-exists with Israel in peace and security.”
Russia’s deputy foreign minister and former ambassador to Israel and Egypt, Mikhail Bogdanov, said, “We urge to immediately start a peace process based on existing internationally recognized agreements.”
ARAB COUNTRIES
Bogdanov also told state media that Russian officials have been in touch with all parties involved in the conflict, including unspecified Arab countries.
“We call on the Palestinian and Israeli sides to implement an immediate ceasefire,” added Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova.
She said Russia is concerned about the sharp aggravation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and urged them to “renounce violence, exercise the necessary restraint and establish, with the assistance of the international community.”
Maria Zakharova clarified that Israel and the Palestinians should focus on a “negotiation process aimed at establishing a comprehensive, lasting and long-awaited peace in the Middle East.”
Moscow, having a large military footprint in the Middle East, declined to say whether Israel had the right to defend itself.
However, the autocratic government of Syria, which Russia has backed, praised Palestinian militants for the attacks against Israel that killed hundreds.
“This honorable achievement of the Palestinian people proves again that the only way to achieve the legitimate rights of the Palestinians is to resist in all its forms and defy the crippled Zionist occupation authorities,” Syria’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
It added that Israel had “increased its oppressive actions against the Palestinian people.”
INDEPENDENT STATE
Syria’s Foreign Ministry condemned Israel for its “brutal occupation practices.”
The ministry said that Israel’s response “proves the right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state on their land.”
It criticized what it views as “illegal” Israeli settlements on Palestinian lands.
A writer for United Press International (UPI) news agency claimed that “Many people around the globe believe Israel has long conducted violence against Palestine — which is, as they put it, simply resisting illegal occupation.”
UPI’s Adam Schrader noted that “in fact, data provided by the United Nations shows that Israel forces killed 227 Palestinians so far this year while just 29 Israelis had been slain by Palestinian attackers before Saturday’s Hamas offensive.”
His comments came while details emerged of the hundreds of Israelis killed by the Palestinian Hamas terror group.
(With additional reporting by Worthy News’ George Whitten and reports from Damascus and Jerusalem).
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