Jake Wallis Simons Jake Wallis Simons

Could Ukraine learn from the Mossad Nazi hunters?

Adolph Eichmann is flanked by Israeli police after being kidnapped by Mossad (photo: Getty)

Since the start of the war, many comparisons have been drawn between Israel and Ukraine, not least by President Zelensky. Last week, he said he wanted his country to become a ‘big Israel’ in terms of its focus on security in the years to come. And, of course, in terms of a plucky, advanced democracy thriving in the midst of a sea of hostility.


Ukraine’s population is four times bigger than that of Israel. Its territory is more than 13 times the size. The threats it faces are not asymmetrical but those of an old-fashioned hostile state, with tanks and heavy artillery. Israel’s totemic defence systems, such as the Iron Dome missile umbrella, were not designed for such an environment.




Yet the inspiration seems to have a common root. Golda Meir, Israel’s first female prime minister, was born in Ukraine and has become a symbol of devotion in the war-torn country.


Last month, a video went viral featuring a Ukrainian frontline soldier with the nom de guerre of ‘Zion’, who carried a biography of the Israeli leader into battle alongside his night vision sight and assault rifle. ‘I’m a Zionist,’ he declared, proudly.

The Bucha killings have made the world realise that the butchery and brutality of the past still thrive today


The spirit is the same. And given the recent atrocities in Bucha, one wonders if an Israeli-style response wouldn’t be in order.


The former BBC journalist John Sweeney, who has been reporting from Ukraine for the Jewish Chronicle these past few weeks, visited the scene of the apparent civilian executions this week.


‘”Never again” feels a bitter, dark joke when you look at what lies in the death pit opposite the main Orthodox Church,’ he wrote. ‘There’s a hand with flesh on it but the flesh has gone greeny-blue, pointing upwards.

Already a subscriber? Log in

Keep reading with a free trial

Subscribe and get your first month of online and app access for free. After that it’s just £1 a week.

There’s no commitment, you can cancel any time.

Or

Unlock more articles

REGISTER

Comments

Don't miss out

Join the conversation with other Spectator readers. Subscribe to leave a comment.

Already a subscriber? Log in