The anti-Zionist NGO Jewish Voice for Peace criticized Israel for "settling" Jewish Ukrainian refugees fleeing from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in a series of tweets on Tuesday.
"The Israeli government is settling Jewish Ukrainian refugees on land it illegally occupies and prevents seven million Palestinian refugees from returning to," claimed the NGO. "Pitting refugees against each other is not justice."
The Israeli govt is settling Jewish Ukrainian refugees on land it illegally occupies and prevents 7 million Palestinian refugees from returning to. Refugees have the right to sanctuary — AND the right to return home.Pitting refugees against each other is not justice.(1/9) pic.twitter.com/1CnohKmcNe
— Jewish Voice for Peace (@jvplive) March 8, 2022
JVP said that the aliyah – Jewish immigration to Israel – required displacement of Palestinians, and denied that the process would make Ukrainian Jews safe. The NGO said that the Ukrainian refugees would become settlers and "with the privileges given to the dominant demographic in a settler-colonial apartheid state."
Read more about the Russia-Ukraine War:
- Day 14 war updates
- Russia says it will no longer participate in Council of Europe
- UK imposes sanctions against Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich
- Ukraine opens website to submit Russia war crime allegations
- Poll: Most Israelis support imposing quotas on the absorption of refugees from Ukraine
JVP asserted that "Israel is giving Jewish Ukrainians citizenship not out of kindness and generosity, but rather to cement a Jewish demographic majority in Palestine."
The NGO also criticized the Jewish state for not being as eager to accept non-Jewish Ukrainians, limiting the refugees they accept and charging a " ~$3,000 fee to Israelis wanting to host them."
The BDS organization was criticized for sharing a post on Sunday that characterized Jewish Ukrainian refugees as an "incoming wave of Zionist colonization." It removed the retweet not long after.
Wow, these @jvplive really are the worst of the worst kind of scum! pic.twitter.com/8zphg3uxHw
— Arsen Ostrovsky (@Ostrov_A) March 6, 2022
Israel is preparing to absorb an estimated 100,000 Jews from Ukraine, Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States, said Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked.
On Tuesday, Shaked announced a new plan for the entry of Ukrainian citizens into Israel. The state would continue to temporarily host 20,000 Ukrainian citizens who were already in Israel prior to the war, and would accept an additional 5,000.
“Israel is expected to be one of the leading countries in the world in absorbing Ukrainians fleeing the battles, certainly compared to its size,” Shaked said.
Zvika Klein contributed to this report.