What Israel and Ukraine Have in Common

Partisans claim the wars are distinct, but their enemies are allies and helping both is in the American interest.

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Flag of Israel flies in front of the Lviv Regional State Administration building as a sign of solidarity with the Israeli people on October 13, 2023 in Lviv, Ukraine. (Photo by Les Kasyanov/Global Images Ukraine/Getty Images)

In normal times, domestic political fights over foreign policy break down more or less along a conventional left-right divide. These are not normal times. 

The right is largely united around the need to support Israel in its war with Hamas, but increasingly divided about backing Ukraine in its war with Russia. The left is largely united around the need to help Ukraine, but more divided about siding with Israel. 

It’s not perfectly symmetrical. Democrats are more unified on Israel, in part because of President Biden’s unequivocal support. But it’s early. After all, the history of the Democratic Party resisting campus radicals and the “anti-war” left is not a tale of heroic resolve. That the response on campuses to a terrorist pogrom was to immediately express support for Palestinians does not suggest the left-wing fringe will come around to a more nuanced stance. 

Meanwhile, even though the GOP is unified in its support for Israel—to the point where even many America Firsters have abandoned all foreign policy consistency to show solidarity with Israel—skepticism over support for Israel is growing on the fringes, especially on social media.

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  1. Avatar photo
    Ben Connelly

    Two hot fronts in a cold war

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  2. Avatar photo
    Paul Montagu

    At the risk of repeating myself, I can’t help but see the parallels.

    Hamas “policy”, written in their charter, is the “destruction of Israel”. From the get-go, they’re on the side of a one-state solution, with that one state being Palestine, from the river to the sea, and they’re willing to commit horrendous crimes against humanity toward that end.

    Putin’s “policy” is that Ukraine doesn’t exist because it’s actually Russia, which he made clear in his July 2021 speech, despite Ukrainian objections against being conquered by his sheethole country. Putin also seeks a one-state solution, with that one state being Russia, and he’s willing to commit horrendous crimes against humanity toward that end.

    Hamas has taken 200 or so Israelis hostage (or non-Israelis in the wrong place at the wrong time), places unknown. Putin has forcibly taken tens of thousands of children out of Ukraine, holding them hostage in Russia, places unknown.

    Hamas has taken Americans hostage. Putin has taken Americans hostage, the latest being the WSJ reporter.

    The Iranian terrorist state is supplying weapons to Hamas for their jihad against Israel, and they're supplying weapons to Russia for their cultural genocide against Ukraine.

    Hamas fires its missiles and artillery at civilian targets. Russia fires missiles and artillery at civilian targets.

    Hamas lies profusely about their attacks as well as attacks against them (see Al Ahli Hospital). Putin lies profusely about his attacks as well as attacks against Russian targets.

    To me, it's all of a piece, not an either-or. Although Israel is much more capable of defending themselves, they face an existential fight every bit as much as Ukraine does, and it's an American national security interest to assist both.

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  3. Pohl

    “Now NATO needs us.” Um, we’re IN that organization. Just sounds awkward. But good article. I don’t like linking the two wars more than necessary, though. We could obviously become overextended if every hotspot involving an ally were to escalate. I know Jonah isn’t being rash about war with Iran as it would be a major disaster. I also don’t like credibility arguments in general. China isn’t going to suddenly change their assessment of our military capabilities in the Western Pacific based on war in Israel, unless we abandon them in dire circumstances. There’s a place for this tertiary reasoning, but it easily becomes a rationale for doing almost anything anywhere. “Putting all other obvious moral and strategic considerations aside” is doing a lot of heavy lifting here, as they say.

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  4. Mirabelle

    Iran's connection to Hamas and Israel's fraught relations with Palestine everyone should know about. With Iran, the tricky part is not accusing them of starting the war and escalating matters since Hamas wants to be the face of that. Not that setting lines for Iran shouldn't be drawn. Palestine has some people concentrating on how bad things will be for them while forgetting that Israel has to protect itself, and Hamas started it because it thought it could achieve something. I am doubtful that the aim that Palestinian lives were gambled with will succeed.

    For the Republicans who have some confusion about it, I will give them this:

    Bad Guys
    North Korea
    Iran
    Russia who supports Hamas
    China who really wants to be one of the cool kids instead of stuck here at this table

    Good Guys
    US
    US NATO allies
    Ukraine
    Sweden
    Israel

    This not an exhaustive list, just sort of a cheat sheet they can take out of their back pocket when they need to remember who is what.

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  5. Já

    Did Israel approve sanctions against Russia ? Does it support Ukraine? It bites off pieces of the neighbor's land like Russians. Strange sort of ally.

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    1. BDM

      The big, and think deciding, difference is that any land Israel has "bitten" off it has done as the result of a defensive war. Israel has not invaded and annexed any neighboring countries territory. Now say Ukraine rolls the Russians back across their borders and then keeps going and occupies Belgorod and maybe Rostov-on-Don as a security buffer. That would be the same scenario as the Israelis occupying Arab lands.

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  6. James Morphew

    I think quite a few of us agree that both conflicts deserve American support, since both Ukraine an Israel have been attacked without warrant, and America is the leader of the free world and must support such nations under attack.

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    Scarlette Tarte

    Got nothing to add. On this one, Jonah, you are correct. That Ukraine elected a Jewish Man illustrates they are far better than Russia. Russia never has and never will. They are the nation of pogrom and they have never disavowed that.

    Netanyahu is God awful, and Israelies themselves know it and have tried mightily to get rid of him, but Hamas is just horrific and the world will be better without that organization.

    In many ways, Russia is much like Hamas, or rather, Putin and his government is. PUtin is an extraordinary bully and makes common cause with Iran.

    It's not exactly the same fight, but it's close. Both need our help. But more than that, a defeated Putin serves America's interest, and Israel serves America's interest. And that is what is most important of all.

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  8. Scianti7

    Thank you! It has been clear to me that Russia & Iran are allies. It is strange that is doesn't seem obvious to everyone.

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    1. Avatar photo
      GW

      Russian and Farsi are from the same branch of the Indo-European tree... they've lived near each other for millenia. Why not look to establish common cause when convenient?

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  9. Avatar photo
    Rajeev

    Joe Biden has done everything right responding to this crisis. Back in 2019/2020 he was in a primary against a bunch of candidates that were mostly going nuts advocating for far left policies. Instead of pivoting he remained fixed on his traditional Democratic viewpoints and cruised to the primary win & won solidly the general election.

    Now everytime a fringe House rep like Talib attacks him on Israel, it strengthens Biden’s appeal as a statesman that will ignore or push back against the crazies in his party. This will hopefully benefit him and not go unnoticed along the more apathetic or less engaged voters that can determine a presidential election.

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    1. Deleted Comment

      This comment has been deleted

  10. Avatar photo
    Rajeev

    Many of the same terrible things that are happening to Israelis by Hamas have been happening to the Ukrainians for a year now by Russian thug soldiers.

    Many Republicans choose to ignore Ukraine at the behest of the de facto leader of their party. But I don’t think any of them actually believe what they say. They know that Ukraine is in the moral right and our help is a necessity in their fight. But until now many of them could placate Trump knowing Dems and the minority national security republicans will vote for the necessary aid.

    But now it’s not only a moral failure to be anti-Ukraine but now it’s effected the tangible support needed to get to Ukraine.

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