Following his speech for help in the Knesset in March, on June 23, local time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky once again appeared on the big screen of the Hebrew University of Israel via video link. In his speech, Zelensky asked the Israeli government to give up its neutral position and give Ukraine more substantial help.
In the face of college students, Zelensky, who came from a Jewish family, first "played the emotional card", emphasizing the close ties between Ukraine and Israel, mentioning former Israeli Prime Minister Meir and Jewish playwright Shalom Alchemy (Shalom Aleiche), both from Kyiv, also mentioned many times similar experiences between Ukraine and Israel during the war.
Zelensky then called on the Israeli government to give Ukraine more material and diplomatic support. “Luxembourg, with a population of only 600,000, provides Ukraine with military aid equivalent to 15% of its defense budget. Denmark, Poland, the Czech Republic and other countries have opened their doors for Ukrainian refugees, Japan and Canada have simplified visa procedures for Ukrainian citizens, and Israel has The visa-free regime for Ukraine is cancelled at this time."
In March of this year, the website of the Ukrainian embassy in Israel announced that Israel can only accept up to 5,000 Ukrainian citizens into Israel without recognizing them as refugees. According to the Israeli Interior Ministry, more than 30,000 Ukrainian refugees, mostly illegal immigrants, have entered Israel since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
Zelensky also expressed disappointment at Israel's inaction and urged Israel to join the sanctions against Russia. “Sanctions on Russia are not about money or business, it’s a matter of values and national security. All who want to destroy other countries should be held accountable. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen Israel join the sanctions.”
In recent months, the Hebrew University has hosted a number of researchers and students who had fled Ukraine, and some Ukrainian students attended Zelensky’s lectures along with Ukraine’s ambassador to Israel, Kornicchuk. However, Zelensky's remarks caused controversy among the teachers and students of the Hebrew University. Some teachers and students expressed solidarity with Ukraine, while others believed that this was Ukraine's propaganda offensive, and the United States and other Western countries were taking advantage of this Conflict divides the world.
Israel has not joined Western sanctions against Russia since Russia launched a special military operation against Ukraine. Ukraine has repeatedly publicly expressed dissatisfaction with this. Earlier, Kornicchuk criticized Israel for refusing to provide defensive weapons, including the "Iron Dome" anti-missile system, and for not accepting wounded Ukrainian soldiers for rehabilitation. He also said that the Israeli government must decide whether to stand on the "right side" ".
