War in Ukraine: Israelis angry after President Zelensky's speech in the Knesset
Volodymyr Zelensky's speech at the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, broadcast on a giant screen on March 20, 2022 in Tel Aviv REUTERS - CORINNA KERN
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2 mins
The reactions are numerous in Israel after the speech of the Ukrainian president in front of the Israeli Parliament.
The Ukrainian president compared the situation of his country to that of the Jews during the Second World War.
And that did not please the Israelis at all.
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With our correspondent in Jerusalem,
Michel Paul
Trivialization of the Holocaust and even Holocaust denial, Zelensky is trying to rewrite history, says an editorialist.
For the Israeli right, the Ukrainian president went too far in his analogy with the Holocaust, especially when he uttered two words: “final solution”.
The genocide also took place on Ukrainian soil, recalls Yoaz Hendel, a minister in Naftali Bennett's government.
For the left-wing daily
Haaretz,
despair and anger were very present in Zelensky's remarks in the face of a virtual Knesset [Volodymyr Zelensky spoke via Zoom, and the deputies were also virtual due to the parliamentary recess in Israel and also work in the Chamber at the Knesset].
But one could also note a touch of disappointment.
Another newspaper,
Maariv,
compares him, the Ukrainian president to Émile Zola by crossing its front page with this title:
I accuse
.
► To read also:
Zelensky at the Knesset: "Can we serve as an intermediary between good and evil?"
Zelensky changes position
Indifference kills, underlined Volodymyr Zelensky.
For the Israeli Minister for the Diaspora, Nachman Shaï, Israel can do better, particularly on the refugee file and by offering defensive military equipment, helmets and bulletproof vests to the Ukrainians.
But on Monday morning, just hours after his speech, Zelensky qualified his remarks: in a video posted on a social network, he said overnight that he
"
understood
" Israeli interests
, and that Israel must "
protect its people
”.
►
Also to listen
: In Ukraine, "Israel is caught in a strategic double bind between Americans and Russians"
All of our daily, live coverage of the war in Ukraine.
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