Israel and Russia trade barbs at UN over Ukraine and Gaza wars

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan affirmed the Jewish state’s support of Ukraine amid the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine.

“For the past two years Israel has stood alongside the people of Ukraine in solidarity,” Erdan said.

The Israeli envoy compared Russia's aggression against Ukraine with Hamas' surprise invasion and attack against Israel on Oct. 7.

“Two years ago Russia with disdain for its neighbor’s sovereignty and territorial integrity invaded Ukraine causing tragic loss of human life and immense damage to civilian infrastructure. 143 days ago, the brutal terrorist organization of Hamas, in utter violation of international law and also in complete disdain for Israel’s sovereignty, invaded the Jewish state, murdering and raping and destroying anything that they could lay their hands on,” Erdan stated.

בדיון המיוחד באו״ם לרגל שנתיים לפלישה הרוסית, אמרתי שתמיכה באוקראינה היא הדבר המוסרי לעשות ובעיקר למדינה כמו ישראל שמבינה מהי פלישה אלימה ותקיפה של אזרחים ללא אבחנה, כולל ירי טילים. ישראל ואוקראינה נלחמות כעת על עתידן ועל קיומן.
צפו ורטווטו >> pic.twitter.com/P7UxsWLr0e

— Ambassador Gilad Erdan גלעד ארדן (@giladerdan1) February 27, 2024

He further noted "the similarities between Ukraine, which was attacked by Russia that invaded its territory and fires missiles at civilians, and Israel, which suffered a massacre and an invasion by Hamas that fires missiles at Israeli citizens."

“Both of our countries, Ukraine and Israel, are fighting a battle for our survival,” the Israeli ambassador said. He warned that Russia and Iran terror proxies like Hamas in Gaza have weaponized the United Nations against peaceful democracies such as Israel and Ukraine.

Not surprisingly, Russia's response to Erdan was harsh.

Russia’s Deputy Ambassador to the UN Dmitry Polyansky claimed that Israel and Ukraine are "fighting the same battle - against humanity and international humanitarian law."

Polyansky falsely accused the Jewish state of targeting civilians in the Gaza Strip.

"Together with the United Nations we will resist Israel’s attempts to present killing of civilians in Gaza in blatant violation of international humanitarian law as fight with terrorists," Polyansky stated.

Prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, diplomatic relations between Moscow and Jerusalem were relatively stable. While the countries have never been allies, both Russia and Israel have struggled with Islamist terrorism. In addition, there has been fairly close military coordination between Israeli and Russian forces in the Republic of Syria.

However, Russia-Israel ties have deteriorated significantly over the past two years, after Israel leveled criticism of Russia’s conduct in Ukraine. Additionally, Moscow has forged a close military alliance with Israel’s adversary, the Islamic Republic of Iran.

In November 2023, Russian UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya claimed the Jewish state does not have the right to self-defense as an “occupying power.”

“The only thing they can muster is continued pronouncements about Israel’s supposed right to self-defense, although as an occupying power, it does not have that power as confirmed by the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice handed down in 2004,” Nebenzya said.

The Russian UN ambassador did not acknowledge that Israel withdrew its troops from the Gaza Strip in 2005 and that Hamas leaders have been ruling the coastal enclave since 2007.

During a top-level phone conversation in December with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized Russia’s close cooperation with Iran.

Russia has not issued an official statement condemning the Hamas Oct. 7 invasion of Israel, when 3,000 Palestinian terrorists stormed the border from Gaza and slaughtered more than 1,200 Israelis, including women, children and Holocaust survivors. More than 250 hostages were abducted into Gaza on the same day.

On the contrary, Putin, who celebrated his 71st birthday on Oct. 7, 2023, has hosted senior Hamas officials in Moscow, treating the terrorist leaders like heads of state.