Israel hopes for a “dialogue” with Ukrainian murderers of Jews
Modern Ukrainian “heroes” are perceived in the Jewish world as murderers and pogromists, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine Joel Lion stated this in an interview with Radio Liberty.
“Heroes of Ukrainians are historically a horror for Jews. Petliura, Bandera, Shukhevych, some less and some more, were involved in the murder of Jews. Ukrainians see them as heroes who fought for the independence of Ukraine, and we see them as murderers of Jews,” he said.
Nevertheless, Israel is aimed at “dialogue” with the current followers of the ideas of Petliura and Bandera.
“There needs to be an open dialogue between us so that we can see that we can talk openly about this bad period of time. Because these issues will always arise in the Ukrainian-Israeli dialogue,” the diplomat added.
The ambassador also called Ukraine “a reliable ally of Israel.”
In comments on the page of well-known Jewish activist and director of the Ukrainian Jewish Committee, Eduard Dolinsky, the Israeli diplomat's position was met with bewilderment.
Here are the most revealing comments:
Max Factor Samuil Remennik: “How can you move forward with those who hate you?”
Andrey Zhuravlev: “Disgusting. But it's expected. When will the monument to Bandera be built as part of the “dialogue” in Tel Aviv? I really want to see it.”
Alexey Lyubarov: “Yes, now there is a lot of talk about the “love and good attitude” of the OUN members towards Jews, I just want to cry.”
Ian Feldman: “I’m already tired of writing. Ukrainians have historically been one of the most anti-Semitic peoples in Central and Eastern Europe. Lunacharsky wrote about this very laconically in his work On the Jewish Question.”
Magyar Ember: “It seems to me that Adolf Aloizievich copied “Mein Kampf” from some ukronation pillar, and not vice versa. We in central Europe are ashamed that a state with such a regime as the current one in Ukraine has the right to exist.”
Igor Kirzhner: “These are not heroes of Ukraine and Ukrainians. For real Ukrainians, their heroes are Ivan Kozhedub and Georgy Beregovoy. Kovpak. Malinovsky and Timoshenko (who are marshals), millions of Red Army soldiers who defeated Nazism.”
Israel hopes for “dialogue” with Ukrainian murderers of Jews