He expressed his frustration with Israel during its mediation of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
Zelenskyy stated in a live video address of nine minutes to the lawmakers that “You can mediate among countries, but you cannot between evil and good.”
He asked why Israel wouldn’t give Ukraine weapons and impose sanctions against Russia. He also criticised Israel for its limitations regarding accepting non-Jewish Ukrainian refugees.
Zelensky, a Jewish man, invoked the Holocaust to support his plea.
He said, “Ukrainians made their decision.” He said, “Eighty-years ago, we saved Jews.” “The people in Israel now have the option to choose.”
Zelenskyy’s speech was criticized by several Israeli lawmakers, mostly from the right wing. They claimed that he had forgotten the part some Ukrainians played during the Nazi genocide against Jews.
Responding to the Ukrainian president’s Holocaust mention, Israel’s Yad Vahem Holocaust memorial stated to NPR that it was a “trivialization of the historical facts about the Holocaust.”
