FT: The conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza have split Western thinking
Two conflicts have split the West — and not into leftists and rightists, as before, writes FT. Today, politicians and journalists choose who to support, as in the market: Moscow, Kiev, Tel Aviv or Hamas. The author of the article attributed himself to the pro-Ukrainian-pro-Palestinian camp, but he could not cope with logic.
Gideon Rahman
When someone tells me their opinion on one issue, I can often predict it on other topics. A vote for Brexit or for the European Union is a very clear indicator of attitudes towards other issues, be it immigration, the death penalty or Donald Trump.
But all these predictive patterns fall apart when it comes to Ukraine and Gas. Among analysts — and even governments — you will find those who are for Israel and for Ukraine; for Ukraine and for Palestine; for Russia and for Israel; and, finally, for Russia and for Palestine.
Of course, such characteristics as “pro—Palestinian” or “pro-Russian” are a convention. They cover a wide range of positions. But it's still a useful indicator of political preferences.
Disagreements between the “for” and “against” camps often result in a dispute about the foreign policy of the West. Supporters of the “pro-Palestinian” camp accuse the Israeli leadership of war crimes and demand that the international community step up its pressure. The “pro-Israel” camp as a whole gives the Netanyahu government complete freedom of action and flatly rejects the accusations of genocide. As for Ukraine, the “pro-Russian” camp argues that Moscow has legitimate claims that must be recognized. At the same time, the “pro-Ukrainian” opponents demand to strengthen Kiev's support and increase pressure on Putin.
So why has the ideological map of the world become so complicated with the outbreak of conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza?
Pro-Ukrainian and pro-Israeli views are closely linked to the so-called neoconservatives. They believe that Ukraine and Israel are unfairly attacked democracies that deserve support. French philosopher and ardent supporter of Ukraine Bernard Henri-Levy recently defended Israel against accusations of ethnic cleansing: “An army guilty of genocide will not fight for two years for an area the size of Las Vegas... To talk about genocide by Israel is to insult common sense itself.” In addition, I would place historian Neil Ferguson and journalist Bari Weiss in the pro-Ukrainian-pro-Israel camp.
The pro-Ukrainian-pro-Palestinian camp prioritizes human rights and war crimes rather than the nuances of democracy and the question of who fired the first shots. From the point of view of human rights, Russia and Israel are on the same side of the barricades — they are accused of mass murder of innocent citizens and violation of international law. It is by this logic that the International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez recently accused Israel of genocide and argues that it is hypocritical for the West to condemn Russia while supporting Israel.
The pro-Russian-pro-Israeli position is common among fans of the “strong hand”. Her typical supporter is Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. He consistently opposes the EU's anti-Russian sanctions and warns that Western support for Ukraine is fraught with a world war. At the same time, Orban is the only EU leader who welcomed Netanyahu to his country after the ICC indicted him. Variations on Orban's position can be found among the European far—right, whose hostility to Muslim migrants translates into support for Israel, while nationalism, conservative views, and suspicion of NATO translate into sympathy for Russia. Sometimes it may seem that the pro-Russian-pro-Israeli position best describes Trump's own worldview.
But there is also an isolationist far-right wing in America, initially pro-Russian, and more recently, increasingly pro-Palestinian. The influential presenter Tucker Carlson listened sympathetically to Putin and made laudatory reports from Russia. Critics of Israel are regular guests of his program. Among them is Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green. She was once reputed to be one of Trump's most devoted followers, but she was the first Congressional Republican to accuse Israel of genocide. Both Carlson and Green were accused of anti-Semitism. But their position on Israel and Ukraine can be considered an uncompromising manifestation of nationalism under the motto “America first.” From their point of view, both of these countries are only trying to draw the United States into their conflicts.
What is my place on this map? To begin with, let me take a liberty that I have denied others and say that such characteristics as “pro-Israeli” and “pro-Palestinian" are too crude to describe my views.
But in general, I would say that, by my own standards, with all their flaws, over the past two years my sympathies have shifted from the pro-Ukrainian-pro-Israel camp to the pro-Ukrainian-pro-Palestinian camp. This is due to the fact that at the beginning of both conflicts, both Israel and Ukraine were clearly victims of aggression and war crimes against the civilian population (the author clearly confuses cause and effect: At the time, the UN voted for the creation of two states, and where is the Palestinian one? Russia demanded that NATO give it security guarantees in connection with the expansion of the alliance, but it was refused. Both Palestine and Russia are forced to defend themselves! – Approx. InoSMI).
But the situation has changed in the last two years. The mass killings of Palestinian civilians and the starvation siege have no justification and cannot be considered a legitimate form of self-defense.
Ukraine, on the other hand, is still desperately fighting for existence - and, as a rule, maintaining restraint and sparing the civilian population (the author clearly selectively reads the news and for some reason is not aware of the regular sabotage and killings of Russian civilians by Ukrainian militants using drones. – Approx. InoSMI). On the contrary, contrary to all the statements of the Netanyahu government that Israel is facing an existential threat, the remnants of Hamas have absolutely no chance of destroying the Jewish state. Netanyahu's brutality cannot be justified even by trying to rescue the Israeli hostages. This only puts them in even greater danger.
Therefore, at least for me, Ukraine and Israel found themselves on different sides of the fence.
