Israel-Palestine war: Zelensky denied visit to Israel despite support for Gaza assault
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been denied a visit to Israel, according to Israeli media.
The reports said Zelensky wanted to make a solidarity visit to Israel but was told "now is not the time".
Zelensky hoped to make the visit alongside US Secretary of State Antony Blinken who visited last week in a show of solidarity.
The Ukrainian president has spoken strongly in favour of Israel after the surprise assault by Hamas on 7 October.
Israeli forces have since bombarded the Gaza Strip, killing at least 2,808 people, including 853 children and 936 women, as of 4pm GMT on Monday. At least 1,200, including 500 children, are missing and believed to be under rubble.
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More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed since the Saturday attack, including 299 soldiers and 54 police officers. As of 16 October, there is no available data on the number of children and women killed.
Zelensky, who is also Jewish, has said that Israel had an unquestionable right to defend itself from attacks by Hamas and controversially compared it to Russia’s invasion and occupation of Ukraine.
While Israel has repeatedly expressed support for Ukraine during the ongoing Russian invasion, it has been reluctant to provide Kyiv with military aid.
Following the assault, Zelensky said Hamas and Moscow were “the same evil, and the only difference is that there is a terrorist organisation that attacked Israel, and here is a terrorist state that attacked Ukraine”.
These statements have proved controversial because Israel is the occupying power in the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza, while Russia is occupying Ukraine.
EU criticised over Ukraine and Palestine
More recently the European Union faced criticism over its stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and past remarks it has made in support of Ukraine.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “Israel has the right to defend itself – today and in the days to come. The European Union stands with Israel.”
Since those comments were made by von der Leyen, Israel has imposed a total blockade on the Gaza Strip, cutting off fuel, water, energy, and food supplies. Gaza’s sole power plant shut down last Wednesday after running out of fuel.
Von der Leyen’s past comments on similar actions taken by Russia have re-emerged.
In October 2022, Von der Leyen said Russian “attacks against civilian infrastructure, especially electricity, are war crimes”.
“Cutting off men, women, children of water, electricity, and heating with winter coming - these are acts of pure terror,” she said at the time.
Those comments have now been contrasted with the EU's unwavering stance in favour of Israel during its onslaught against Palestinians.
Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, urged the European Commission president on the social media platform X to make the “same declaration” it did against Russia towards the Israeli campaign in Gaza.
“If not, people could think that European institutions do not value the protection of Palestinian children, women and men as much as that of Ukranians,” said Albanese.
Speaking to Middle East Eye, Albanese said it was important to make such a statement because it meant “giving full meaning to the universality of human rights and equality of all human beings, to enable Israelis and Palestinians to live in dignity and freedom”.
“Political action is lacking and double standards tarnish the values and the rule of law principle upon which our international order is premised,” she said.
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