Script of the speech of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the Israel parliament, the Knesset today.
Thank
you very much Mr Parliament Speaker,
Mr Prime
Minister Bennet,
I thank you very
much for your support.
Lawmakers, dignitaries,
Israeli people as a whole.
Ukrainians, Jewish
Ukrainian communities have always been profoundly intertwined and we will
always continue to live one next to the other and we’ll feel together joy and
pain.
And this is why I
would like to remind you all the words of Ukrainian that you very well know,
the words of Golda Meir that I’m sure that many Ukrainians are also familiar
with those words.
And I’m sure
there are those in Russia who are well familiar with the words:
“We want to live
but our neighbours want to see us dead”.
It doesn’t give
us much room for compromise.
I don’t need to
convince you that indeed the history of our nations is intertwined: Jews and Ukrainians
in the past and even during those terrible times.
We’re in
different countries, in completely different conditions but the threat we are
facing is the same as yours: total destruction of the nation, of the state, of
the culture and even of the name Ukraine.
Israel, I would
like you to feel all of this; I would like you to think about this date 20
March 2022.
The 24th of February
was the beginning of the war; the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the 24th of February. This day will be remembered in global history, remembered as a tragedy
for Ukrainians, for Jews, for the entire world.
The same day back in 1920, the Nazi party was founded, a party that killed millions, destroyed
the entire nation that tried to wipe out people.
102 years later
on the same day on 24th February, the order to invade Ukraine was given to the
Russian military and thousands of people have already been killed and millions
have been displaced from their homes.
They became refugees
in neighbouring countries Poland, Slovakia, Germany, the Czech Republic and dozens
of other countries.
Our nation is
now fleeing looking for security, looking for where to stay in the world and
peace, similarly to what you have sought in the past.
Russia’s
invasion of Ukraine is not just a military operation as Moscow was presenting
it.
We’re talking of
a full-fledged war an unjustified, one that intends to terminate our culture,
our nation our people our children, everything that makes Ukrainians Ukrainian.
Everything!
The Russian military
is now maliciously destroying and the entire world is watching.
And this is why I
can make this comparison between your history to our survivability now – World
War II and what’s going on now.
Listen to what Kremlins
is saying: they are using the same terminology of the Nazi party which is a tragedy.
When they sought
to destroy all of Europe, they did not want to leave anything of any one of you
and now from us they call it the ‘final solution to the Jewish question.
You must remember
I’m sure you do you will never forget but listen to what they are saying now in
Moscow: they’re using the same words the same terminology the ‘final solution’
but now it’s directed to us.
They are openly
saying that in Moscow.
You can see it
on official sites, the exact quotes in the Russian media.
This is what is
being explicitly said in Moscow without the war against Ukraine they
allegedly couldn’t secure their own safety.
It’s similar to
what was said 80 years ago.
Israel nation,
you have seen how Russian missiles targeted Kyiv, Babyn Yar – you know this
location, you know that this is a memorial site to the victims of the holocaust.
The cemetery was
hit by Russian missiles and also in the city of Uman, a city where tens of
thousands of Israelis visit every year.
What will be
left of our cities in Ukraine after this terrible war?
I’m sure that
you share and feel our pain but can you explain why until this at this point in
time we’re still requesting help from countries around, we’re reaching out
to you looking for help?
Even entry visas
– what is it, indifference or sitting on the fence?
I’m leaving this
open question to you to answer.
I would like to
say clearly: indifference kills; calculation of interests kills.
You can navigate
between interests but not between good or bad.
And Israel you
know very well that your iron dome antimissile defence system is the best in
the world.
We know that you
know how to defend your interests and also to defend Ukrainians, to defend the Jews
in Ukraine.
One can wonder
why we cannot get ammunition from you; why Israel did not impose serious sanctions
against Russia; why there is no pressure on Russian businesses!
You’re the ones
who need to answer these questions and then live what your answers are
providing.
The Ukrainians made
their choice eight years ago, we save Jews and this is why the Israel people
now need to choose to make a similar decision.
Thank you
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