Post by pieter on Mar 3, 2022 18:05:42 GMT -7
Folks,
The Jewish president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy isn't satisfied with the attitude of Israel towards the present situation at all.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky talks during an interview with Reuters in Kyiv, Ukraine, March 1, 2022.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday expressed disappointment at the Israeli leadership’s response to his requests for aid as his country fights off a Russian invasion.
“I expected greater support from Prime Minister [Naftali] Bennett,” he said at a press conference.
“I saw a nice picture of Jews wrapped in [Ukrainian] flags by the Western Wall,” said Zelensky, who is Jewish. “They prayed for us, and I thank them for it. Our relations with the Israeli leadership are not bad, but they are being tested in a time of need. I did not feel that the Israeli prime minister is wrapped in our flag.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (C) welcomes his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog (2ndL) ahead of their meeting at Mariinskyi Palace in Kiev on 5 October 2021. [SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images]
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett with President Vladimir Putin
The reason of Israel's restraint or distant attitude towards the Ukrainian crisis is the fact that Israel needs to monitor both the situation in Ukraine and the situation in Syria. In a weird kind of way a reduced presence of Russia in Syria would have a negative impact on the geopolitical balance in the Levant region in the Middle East. A Russian retreat from Syria will automatically have the affect that Iran and Hezbollah will expand their presence and grip on Syria. The triangle of the Ba'ath regime of Bashar al-Assad, the Hezbollah of Secretary-General of Hezbollah Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and the Quds force of the Iranian brigadier general Esmail Qaani, the supreme leader of Iran Sayyid Ali Hosseini Khamenei and the Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will expand their influence and presence in Syria on the ground. Lebanon’s Hezbollah's “completely control” of border areas with Syria, including Hama airport helps them to transport Iranian weapons from Syria to Lebanon. Hama Military Airport, a military airport located in west of Hama, Syria is the main transport hub for Iranian weaponry to Hezbollah in Lebanon and southern Syria.
The Iranians continue to expand their influence in Syria on multiple fronts. The Iranians are conducting a wide-mass Shia campaign targeting the youth, they are buying Syrian land and maintaining ground influence, and the Arabs should be aware of that. The Israeli's are certaily aware of that.
The Iranians were present in Syria before the uprising, there had been continuous security and military cooperation through relations with Hezbollah.
Iran is enlisting militiamen in part of eastern Syria, looking to cement its influence in an area with a key border crossing for moving weapons to allied groups, according to a report Friday.
The Washington Post said Iran is outcompeting Syria in signing up fighters in Deir Ezzor province, offering better salaries and conditions to former rebels and army deserters than the Syrian military.
Citing local experts, the report said Iran — a leading backer of the Assad regime in the Syrian civil war — has also been building schools and distributing food, and has even tried to convert some mosques in the predominately Sunni-area to Shiite Islam, the Islamic Republic’s official religion.
That is the reason for Israel's current cautious, reticent, rather hesitant and not very proactive stance. Of course, for Israelis, the fact that the Ukrainian president is Jewish is not the biggest factor. National security and Israel's National interest and security are more important to Israelis. They are upset with this situation. There are great risks involved in changing the regional statues quo as strange as that may sound.
A second reason might be the large presence of Russian Jews in Israel with Russian family and friends and acqaintances and former colleagues in the Russian Federation. Russian Jews in Israel are immigrants and descendants of the immigrants of the Russian Jewish communities, who now reside within the State of Israel. They number around 900,000. This refers to all post-Soviet Jewish diaspora groups, not only Russian Jews, but also Mountain Jews, Crimean Karaites, Krymchaks, Bukharan Jews, and Georgian Jews.
Immigration history
Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin shakes hands with new Russian immigrants on their flight from Russia to Israel. 27 April 1994.
The largest number of Russian Jews now live in Israel. Israel is home to a core Russian-Jewish population of 900,000, and an enlarged population of 1,200,000 (including halakhically non-Jewish members of Jewish households, but excluding those who reside in Israel illegally). The Aliyah in the 1990s accounts for 85–90% of this population.
The population growth rate for Former Soviet Union (FSU) immigrants were among the lowest for any Israeli groups, with a fertility rate of 1.70 and natural increase of just +0.5% per year. The increase in Jewish birth rate in Israel during the 2000–2007 period was partly due to the increasing birth rate among the FSU immigrants, who now form 20% of the Jewish population of Israel. 96.5% of the enlarged Russian Jewish population in Israel is either Jewish or non-religious, while 3.5% (35,000) belongs to other religions (mostly Christians) and about 10,000 so-called "messianic Jews".
The Total Fertility Rate for FSU immigrants in Israel is given in the table below. The TFR increased with time, peaking in 1997, then slightly decreased after that, and then again increased after 2000.
Year TFR
2000 1.544
1999 1.612
1998 1.632
1997 1.723
1996 1.743
1995 1.731
1994 1.756
1993 1.707
1992 1.604
1991 1.398
1990 1.390
In 1999, about 1,037,000 FSU immigrants lived in Israel, of whom about 738,900 immigrated after 1989. The second largest ethnic group (Moroccans) numbered just 1,000,000. From 2000–2006, 142,638 FSU immigrants moved to Israel. While 70,000 of them emigrated from Israel to countries like the U.S. and Canada, bringing the total population to 1,150,000 by 2007 January (excluding illegals). The natural increase was around 0.3% in late 1990s. For example 2,456 in 1996 (7,463 births to 5,007 deaths), 2,819 in 1997 (8,214 to 5,395), 2,959 in 1998 (8,926 to 5,967) and 2,970 in 1999 (9,282 to 6,312). In 1999, the natural growth was +0.385%. (Figures only for FSU immigrants moved in after 1989).
An estimated 45,000 illegal immigrants from the Former Soviet Union lived in Israel during the end of 2010, but it is not clear how many of them are actually Jews.
Currently, Russia has the highest rate of aliyah to Israel among any other country. In 2013, 7,520 people, nearly 40% of all olim, immigrated to Israel from the former Soviet Union.
Political history
Russian Jews have been very dominant in Israeli politics, due to large number of Russian Jews occupied in the official positions of Israeli Government. Former Israeli Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, claimed ancestry from former Soviet Union's Moldova. Many Russian Jews maintain their ties with Russia, and play an important role in the relationship between Russia and Israel.
Demographics
Russian-speaking Jews in Israel include an enlarged population of 1,200,000, if including halakhically non-Jewish members of Jewish households. 96.5% of the enlarged Russian Jewish population in Israel is either Jewish or non-religious, while 3.5% (35,000) belong to other religions (mostly Christianity) and about 10,000 identifying as Messianic Jews separate from Jewish Christians.
Jews (of all Russian-speaking Jewish ethnic groups)
Soviet and Russian-origin Jews form a core population of around 900,000 in Israel, as of 2007.
Mixed families
Some 300,000 halakhically[according to whom?] non-Jewish members of Jewish households lived in Israel, as of 2007.
Cheers,
Pieter
The Jewish president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy isn't satisfied with the attitude of Israel towards the present situation at all.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky talks during an interview with Reuters in Kyiv, Ukraine, March 1, 2022.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday expressed disappointment at the Israeli leadership’s response to his requests for aid as his country fights off a Russian invasion.
“I expected greater support from Prime Minister [Naftali] Bennett,” he said at a press conference.
“I saw a nice picture of Jews wrapped in [Ukrainian] flags by the Western Wall,” said Zelensky, who is Jewish. “They prayed for us, and I thank them for it. Our relations with the Israeli leadership are not bad, but they are being tested in a time of need. I did not feel that the Israeli prime minister is wrapped in our flag.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (C) welcomes his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog (2ndL) ahead of their meeting at Mariinskyi Palace in Kiev on 5 October 2021. [SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images]
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett with President Vladimir Putin
The reason of Israel's restraint or distant attitude towards the Ukrainian crisis is the fact that Israel needs to monitor both the situation in Ukraine and the situation in Syria. In a weird kind of way a reduced presence of Russia in Syria would have a negative impact on the geopolitical balance in the Levant region in the Middle East. A Russian retreat from Syria will automatically have the affect that Iran and Hezbollah will expand their presence and grip on Syria. The triangle of the Ba'ath regime of Bashar al-Assad, the Hezbollah of Secretary-General of Hezbollah Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and the Quds force of the Iranian brigadier general Esmail Qaani, the supreme leader of Iran Sayyid Ali Hosseini Khamenei and the Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will expand their influence and presence in Syria on the ground. Lebanon’s Hezbollah's “completely control” of border areas with Syria, including Hama airport helps them to transport Iranian weapons from Syria to Lebanon. Hama Military Airport, a military airport located in west of Hama, Syria is the main transport hub for Iranian weaponry to Hezbollah in Lebanon and southern Syria.
The Iranians continue to expand their influence in Syria on multiple fronts. The Iranians are conducting a wide-mass Shia campaign targeting the youth, they are buying Syrian land and maintaining ground influence, and the Arabs should be aware of that. The Israeli's are certaily aware of that.
The Iranians were present in Syria before the uprising, there had been continuous security and military cooperation through relations with Hezbollah.
Iran is enlisting militiamen in part of eastern Syria, looking to cement its influence in an area with a key border crossing for moving weapons to allied groups, according to a report Friday.
The Washington Post said Iran is outcompeting Syria in signing up fighters in Deir Ezzor province, offering better salaries and conditions to former rebels and army deserters than the Syrian military.
Citing local experts, the report said Iran — a leading backer of the Assad regime in the Syrian civil war — has also been building schools and distributing food, and has even tried to convert some mosques in the predominately Sunni-area to Shiite Islam, the Islamic Republic’s official religion.
That is the reason for Israel's current cautious, reticent, rather hesitant and not very proactive stance. Of course, for Israelis, the fact that the Ukrainian president is Jewish is not the biggest factor. National security and Israel's National interest and security are more important to Israelis. They are upset with this situation. There are great risks involved in changing the regional statues quo as strange as that may sound.
A second reason might be the large presence of Russian Jews in Israel with Russian family and friends and acqaintances and former colleagues in the Russian Federation. Russian Jews in Israel are immigrants and descendants of the immigrants of the Russian Jewish communities, who now reside within the State of Israel. They number around 900,000. This refers to all post-Soviet Jewish diaspora groups, not only Russian Jews, but also Mountain Jews, Crimean Karaites, Krymchaks, Bukharan Jews, and Georgian Jews.
Immigration history
Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin shakes hands with new Russian immigrants on their flight from Russia to Israel. 27 April 1994.
The largest number of Russian Jews now live in Israel. Israel is home to a core Russian-Jewish population of 900,000, and an enlarged population of 1,200,000 (including halakhically non-Jewish members of Jewish households, but excluding those who reside in Israel illegally). The Aliyah in the 1990s accounts for 85–90% of this population.
The population growth rate for Former Soviet Union (FSU) immigrants were among the lowest for any Israeli groups, with a fertility rate of 1.70 and natural increase of just +0.5% per year. The increase in Jewish birth rate in Israel during the 2000–2007 period was partly due to the increasing birth rate among the FSU immigrants, who now form 20% of the Jewish population of Israel. 96.5% of the enlarged Russian Jewish population in Israel is either Jewish or non-religious, while 3.5% (35,000) belongs to other religions (mostly Christians) and about 10,000 so-called "messianic Jews".
The Total Fertility Rate for FSU immigrants in Israel is given in the table below. The TFR increased with time, peaking in 1997, then slightly decreased after that, and then again increased after 2000.
Year TFR
2000 1.544
1999 1.612
1998 1.632
1997 1.723
1996 1.743
1995 1.731
1994 1.756
1993 1.707
1992 1.604
1991 1.398
1990 1.390
In 1999, about 1,037,000 FSU immigrants lived in Israel, of whom about 738,900 immigrated after 1989. The second largest ethnic group (Moroccans) numbered just 1,000,000. From 2000–2006, 142,638 FSU immigrants moved to Israel. While 70,000 of them emigrated from Israel to countries like the U.S. and Canada, bringing the total population to 1,150,000 by 2007 January (excluding illegals). The natural increase was around 0.3% in late 1990s. For example 2,456 in 1996 (7,463 births to 5,007 deaths), 2,819 in 1997 (8,214 to 5,395), 2,959 in 1998 (8,926 to 5,967) and 2,970 in 1999 (9,282 to 6,312). In 1999, the natural growth was +0.385%. (Figures only for FSU immigrants moved in after 1989).
An estimated 45,000 illegal immigrants from the Former Soviet Union lived in Israel during the end of 2010, but it is not clear how many of them are actually Jews.
Currently, Russia has the highest rate of aliyah to Israel among any other country. In 2013, 7,520 people, nearly 40% of all olim, immigrated to Israel from the former Soviet Union.
Political history
Russian Jews have been very dominant in Israeli politics, due to large number of Russian Jews occupied in the official positions of Israeli Government. Former Israeli Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, claimed ancestry from former Soviet Union's Moldova. Many Russian Jews maintain their ties with Russia, and play an important role in the relationship between Russia and Israel.
Demographics
Russian-speaking Jews in Israel include an enlarged population of 1,200,000, if including halakhically non-Jewish members of Jewish households. 96.5% of the enlarged Russian Jewish population in Israel is either Jewish or non-religious, while 3.5% (35,000) belong to other religions (mostly Christianity) and about 10,000 identifying as Messianic Jews separate from Jewish Christians.
Jews (of all Russian-speaking Jewish ethnic groups)
Soviet and Russian-origin Jews form a core population of around 900,000 in Israel, as of 2007.
Mixed families
Some 300,000 halakhically[according to whom?] non-Jewish members of Jewish households lived in Israel, as of 2007.
Cheers,
Pieter