The Jerusalem Post
Israel’s response warrants far less attention than Putin’s motives, which is much more than an assault on Ukraine.
With the world focused on the events in Ukraine – a country that most social-media commentators couldn’t locate on a map, let alone have a clue about its history – it’s imperative to pay attention to what Russian President Vladimir Putin is up to ideologically. One way he’s been framing his military invasion is denazification of the former Soviet republic that in 1991 declared independence from the collapsing USSR. But this is no more than a propaganda tool to portray his aggression as a battle against evil. This is not to say that Ukraine didn’t have its share of participants in the Holocaust or that the current population is void of antisemites. Still, Putin’s public statements prior to the so-called blitz that he launched reveal that hunger for hegemony, or at least for a return to Russia’s glory days as a global superpower contending with the United States, is at the root of his moves. Meanwhile, as a signatory to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear pact with Iran and a proponent of the new version being cooked up in Vienna, he is among the leaders of the P5+1 countries actively enabling the Islamic Republic to proceed and enhance its nuclear, ballistic-missile and terrorist-proxy capabilities. He’s also abetting Tehran’s aim to destroy Israel, rule the Middle East and subjugate the West.
