Published: 4 March 2025
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Israel joined the United States and Russia in voting against a United Nations General Assembly resolution condeming the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The resolution last Monday reaffirmed Ukraine’s territorial integrity and included a strongly-worded condemnation of Russia’s invasion on the war’s third anniversary. Also voting “no” were Belarus, North Korea, Hungary, and around a dozen other countries.
Israel’s vote marks the first time the country has voted against Ukraine and aligned with Russia since the war began. Up until the final moments before the vote, Israel was unsure of the United States’ stance and whether it would indeed oppose the resolution, Ynetnews reported.
Israel never showed any moral courage on the Ukraine issue
Commentator Amir Tibon
Israel had previously supported Ukraine in UN votes, though it has also sought to maintain relations with both sides—partly due to the presence of Russian forces near Israel’s border.
Ukraine's ambassador to Israel Yevgen Korniychuk said many ministers, Knesset members, and ordinary citizens had contacted him to say they were ashamed of this vote.
"I repeatedly emphasise that the people of Ukraine and Israel are one big family that feels each other's pain. This makes it so difficult to understand the position of Israeli officials—a country at war after being attacked without provocation, a country that, like Ukraine, fights for its right to exist," he said.
Comments1
Rachel Sussman4 March at 08:51 am
Many, including myself felt an initial shock when Israel voted against the UN resolution condemning Russia.
One’s first reaction – including mine – was shame, thinking that Israel is ‘punishing’ Ukraine for the fact that it voted against Israel in over 90% of the UN anti-Israel resolutions, and that Israel is aligning itself with Russia, the obvious aggressor.
Then on reflection, an understanding emerged… Israel is not aligning itself with the far right (and lets face it, today’s far left is yesterday’s far right), nor is it aligning itself with Russia, or moving away from Ukraine – it is aligning itself with the US and for a reason… The US is not against Ukraine, nor is it aligned with Russia, the US is focused on ending a conflict that sadly Ukraine – even though the moral victim – cannot win unless Europe and the US join not only with financial support but also with direct involvement of troops, and this calls for a war against Russia and in turn a World War 3.
The only other option is a political/diplomatic deal that will enable Ukraine to be saved and to come out with dignity whilst Russia does not feel ‘humiliated’. Condemning Russia using the wording of the resolution meant nothing but putting Russia down, and while it clearly deserves to be put down, doing so would achieve nothing towards encouraging a deal that ends this horrid conflict.
I think that sometimes we need to think and see through different perspectives, rather than in black and white… well maybe I am foolish and naive, but this insight became very clear to me, and I do hope, and believe, that what seems to be a current mess will somehow end well…