Excuses Are Over: Israel Must Stand with Ukraine
Dr. Michael Oren, former Israeli ambassador to the US, calls on Israel to publicly support Ukraine in its war against Russia. He argues that the concerns that previously deterred Israel—Ukrainian anti-Semitism, a Russian response from Syria—have dissipated, and that Kyiv is now a natural ally against Iran. Oren notes that supporting Ukraine would bring Israel closer to Europe and the Trump administration.
In an opinion piece in Israel Hayom, Dr. Michael Oren, former Israeli ambassador to the US, calls on Israel to change its neutral policy toward Ukraine and support it publicly and unreservedly in its war against Russia. He recalls his appearance in February 2022 on an Israeli news program, where he was the only one who supported Ukraine, while others argued that Israel should remain neutral due to Ukrainian anti-Semitism and the fear that Russians in Syria would fire on Israeli Air Force planes. Oren claims these fears have been disproven: Ukraine's technological innovations, especially in drone warfare, have brought the war into Russia; there is no longer an Iranian threat from Syria; and Russian air defense batteries were destroyed by the Israeli Air Force in Iran. He notes that Kyiv attacked an Iranian weapons ship in the Caspian Sea, making it a natural ally against Iran. Oren concludes that Israel has nothing to lose from supporting Ukraine, and that it would bring it closer to Europe and the Trump administration.