Duvi Honig is Founder & CEO, Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce
Ukraine often speaks to the world by drawing emotional parallels between its suffering and Israel’s trauma on October 7th, presenting itself as a nation under existential attack with “nowhere else to go,” echoing the famous words of Golda Meir.
Ukrainian officials routinely invoke this comparison when appealing for international aid and moral solidarity - insisting that, like Israel, they are victims of brutal aggression who must fight for survival. And yet, with stunning audacity, Ukraine repeatedly votes against Israel’s security at the UN, aligning itself time and time again with blocs that undermine Israel’s right to defend itself.
The UN General Assembly’s recent vote to extend UNRWA’s mandate for another three years - celebrated by UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini as an “overwhelming” act of solidarity - once again exposed this painful contradiction.
But Ukraine’s vote is more than disappointing. It is a direct rejection of the very principles Ukraine demands from the world on its own behalf.
Ukraine has spent the last several years pleading for global empathy, humanitarian relief, and military assistance as it fends off a devastating war. Democracies have responded. Israel has responded. Jewish communities have opened their hearts and rallied in prayer, charity, and advocacy for Ukraine’s safety and freedom.
Yet when Israel faces terrorism, massacres, and ongoing existential threats - when Israeli families are butchered, burned, raped, kidnapped, and terrorized - Ukraine votes in ways that empower Israel’s enemies and whitewash the structures that support them.
This voting pattern is not an accident. It is a policy choice.
Ukraine has repeatedly supported resolutions that isolate Israel, strengthen Hamas-aligned institutions, and extend mandates for agencies like UNRWA whose track record includes indoctrinating hatred, employing scores of individuals tied to terror networks, and providing cover for Hamas operations and weapons. These are not neutral bodies. They are instruments that fuel the very ideologies responsible for the October 7th massacre.
If Ukraine truly believes that countries under attack have the right - indeed the obligation - to defend their people, then why does it deny that same legitimacy to Israel?
If Ukraine believes the world cannot remain silent in the face of atrocities committed on its soil, why does it remain silent, or worse, complicit in resolutions that diminish or erase the atrocities committed against Israelis?
You cannot demand moral clarity while practicing double standards.
You cannot invoke Golda Meir while voting against the security of the Jewish state.
Ukraine insists the world take its suffering seriously. Israel deserves no less.
This contradiction strikes at the heart of global diplomacy. Solidarity must be consistent. If Ukraine expects nations to stand with it when its sovereignty is violated, when civilians are targeted, when infrastructure is destroyed, then Ukraine must show the same integrity when Israel is forced to confront barbaric terrorism and ongoing threats from Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iranian proxies.
To vote for UNRWA without demanding reform is not humanitarian. It is irresponsible. It is dangerous. It strengthens systems that perpetuate radicalization and reward terrorism.
Ukraine, of all nations, should recognize the cost of ignoring extremist ideology. It should understand the consequences of appeasing those who seek destruction. It should know that survival requires clarity - not selective moral outrage.
Israel has shown Ukraine respect, empathy, and humanitarian support. Ukraine’s votes at the United Nations show none of that in return. They show opportunism. They show moral inconsistency. They show a willingness to compare themselves to Israel when asking for compassion while abandoning Israel when compassion is required of them.
Israel does not ask Ukraine to choose sides in its war. It asks only for honesty. For moral consistency. For the same solidarity Ukraine demands for itself.
If Ukraine wants the world to stand with it, then Ukraine must finally stand with Israel.
The path forward is simple:
Stop voting with Israel’s adversaries.
Stop legitimizing agencies that fuel extremism.
Apply the same moral clarity you demand for your own people to the Jewish state fighting for its survival.
Anything less makes Ukraine’s appeals ring hollow.