According to MEMRI, Mraweh Nassar said that the West has forsaken the Jews because the Zionist project will fail in two years.

 A Kyiv-based TV tower was shelled (photo credit: BABYN YAR HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL CENTER)
A Kyiv-based TV tower was shelled
(photo credit: BABYN YAR HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL CENTER)

The Jews are the ones behind the Russian invasion of Ukraine – and their goal is to create a new Jewish state to replace the failing Zionist project of Israel, Palestinian Islamic scholar Mraweh Nassar has claimed, as reported by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).

Nassar, who MEMRI identified as the secretary-general of the Jerusalem Committee of the International Union of Muslims Scholars, made his claims on March 22 while speaking with Channel 9, an Arabic-language TV channel in Turkey that the media watchdog says is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood.

According to him, the traditional allies of the Jews, the US and the West have realized that Israel will “come to an end” within just two years, which has caused them to forsake it.

Consequently, the Jewish state has found new allies in Russia and China with a new goal: Creating a Jewish state in Ukraine, Nassar alleged.

This, in turn, will be supported by claims that Ukraine is the true home of the Jews and will even declare that biblical Jerusalem, along with the First and Second Temples, were actually located within Ukraine all along, MEMRI quoted Nassar as saying.

 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a news conference for foreign media in Kyiv, Ukraine March 12, 2022. (credit: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS)Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a news conference for foreign media in Kyiv, Ukraine March 12, 2022. (credit: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS)

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been ongoing since February 24. According to Moscow’s official statements on the matter, the war, which they have dubbed a “special military operation,” was done to protect Russian speakers and “de-Nazify” Ukraine, while most international observers point to a number of other reasons such as a desire to prevent Ukraine from joining the West, specifically the European Union and NATO.

So far, this invasion has caused widespread devastation and destruction throughout the country, and both Ukrainian civilians and Russian troops have suffered significant casualties.

But it seems that, according to Nassar, this is to be expected.

“The [Israelis] understand nothing but force,” he told Channel 9, according to MEMRI. “If the security of their state depends on aligning with Russia, or at least being neutral, they will do this even if it means sacrificing the [Ukrainian] Jews.”

This sacrifice of Ukrainian Jewry would include Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, all of whom are Jewish.

But would the Jews really sacrifice other Jews for this goal? According to MEMRI, Nasser clearly believes this to be the case, noting that the Jews have done this before during the “false Holocaust.”

“Even in the false Holocaust, there is a book written by a Jew, which asks ‘Who killed the Jews?’ They were offered to take the Jews for five dollars each,” Nassar said, according to MEMRI.

“They took one look, saw that most of them were old, and said: ‘We don’t want them.’ A Jew wrote this book and said: ‘We killed the Jews’ — that is what he means — ‘because we refused to accept 100,000 or 200,000 Jews who were in Germany, in exchange for a handful of dollars.’ They only wanted young people; they did not want the old.”

Why would that have happened? Nassar asks as much – and he gives an explanation, albeit one that is debunked by nearly all understandings and records of the Holocaust, World War II and world history in general.

“Why did the Holocaust really happen? Leave aside everything that is being said. During World War II, some of the Jews joined the Americans and the West, and others joined Germany. They said: ‘If the Germans win, we are with Germany, and if the West wins, we are with the West,'” Nassar explained, according to MEMRI. “Hitler found out that there were [Jewish] spies, so he killed some of them – it was not hundreds of thousands like they say. These are all lies.”

Why would Israel turn to Russia and China?

If you ask most experts, they would say that Israel has done no such thing and that support for the Jewish state among its Western allies remains strong.

But if you ask Nassar, according to MEMRI, that is far from the case, and Israel has turned to the East because “America has forsaken them.”

“[The US] told them in short: Your [Zionist] project is a failure and you are bound to come to an end — if not this year, then the next,” the scholar explained, according to the research institute. “The Americans understand that they are supporting a failed project, so [the Israelis] are looking for an alternative, which can be Russia or [China].”

But while the West, according to Nassar, may think Israel is doomed to fall within the next two years, what does Israel, or at least the Israeli political echelon, think about that? As far as Nassar is concerned, according to MEMRI, they are very much aware.

Avigdor Liberman and Benjamin Netanyahu (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)Avigdor Liberman and Benjamin Netanyahu (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)

“Even the Jews themselves, including [Finance Minister Avigdor] Liberman and [opposition leader Benjamin] Netanyahu, are now convinced that Palestine cannot be the state for the Jews. So they started saying that Holy Jerusalem is in Ukraine and not in Palestine. Ukraine is now the candidate to become the future Jewish state,” Nassar said, according to MEMRI.

“Perhaps one of the reasons they instigated this war was to empty out Ukraine. So they [Israel] would not destroy their relations with Russia or [China] over a handful of Jews. As far as they were concerned, those [Ukrainian] Jews can go to Hell.”

But why Ukraine, of all places? Other places in the world have larger Jewish populations, though Ukraine has one of the largest. Nassar has an explanation: There already is a Jewish state there.

“The whole world knows about the Jewish state in eastern Ukraine,” he stated, according to the media watchdog. “I remembered that there were 43,000 [Jews] there, but now they say 200,000.”

 

Where are these numbers coming from?

Ukraine’s Jewish community is estimated to be at most 200,000, according to the criteria of being eligible to make aliyah(immigrate) to Israel via the Law of Return, as noted by data from Prof. Sergio Della Pergoala of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in the 2018 World Jewish Population report.

In terms of those who identify themselves as Jews, however, Ukraine has only around 50,000, the 12th largest such community in the Diaspora, while the Ukrainian government has said there were over 106,000 Jews in the country.

 

Are the Jews concentrated in eastern Ukraine, as Nassar suggested?

The locality in Ukraine most identified with Jews is Uman, home to the grave of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov and a major Jewish pilgrimage site. But Uman itself doesn’t have the largest population, even when not counting Jews.

JEWISH PILGRIMS pray at the tomb of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov in Uman during the celebration of Rosh Hashanah in September 2017. (credit: VALENTYN OGIRENKO/REUTERS)JEWISH PILGRIMS pray at the tomb of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov in Uman during the celebration of Rosh Hashanah in September 2017. (credit: VALENTYN OGIRENKO/REUTERS)

Estimates point to most Ukrainian Jews living in four large cities, about half of them in the capital Kyiv. The other major cities are Dnipro, Odesa and Kharkiv. But Dnipro, like Uman, is located in central Ukraine while Odesa is more to the south. Kharkiv, however, is located in eastern Ukraine and is the country’s second-largest city.

 

So is that what Nassar is referring to?

“It is an independent state, and they did not want to spread the word about it, so they would not be told to go there rather than come to Palestine,” Nassar said, according to MEMRI, ruling out Kharkiv, which is not an independent state, nor has it ever been.

Regardless, the invasion of Ukraine has been much slower than many expected, especially Russia, with logistical issues and Ukrainian resistance keeping Russian troops from making significant progress. Some, specifically Nassar and people with similar views and opinions, might assume that this was also part of a nefarious Jewish plot.


Iran and China seek closer cooperation – analysis

The irony of China and Iran working on “counter-terrorism” is that the US has accused Iran’s IRGC of being a terrorist group and the US accuses China of genocide in its treatment of Uighurs.

(L-R) Chinese leader Xi Jinping and his entourage meet with Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, January 23, 2020 (photo credit: KHAMENEI.IR)
(L-R) Chinese leader Xi Jinping and his entourage meet with Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, January 23, 2020
(photo credit: KHAMENEI.IR)

In a statement that appears aimed at the United States and the West, China and Iran have agreed to strengthen “cooperation in counter-terrorism” and security, according to media reports in the two countries. This occurred during a meeting between the Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian in Tunxi, China.

According to CGTN, China’s state-run media organization, “the two countries should remain highly vigilant against the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) and other terrorist and extremist forces taking advantage of the situation in Afghanistan to create chaos, Wang said.”

What this means is that China wants Iran to focus east and that means potential cooperation when dealing with issues in central Asia and Afghanistan. The irony of China and Iran working on “counter-terrorism” is that the US has accused Iran’s IRGC of being a terrorist group and the US accuses China of genocide in its treatment of Uighurs and other mostly Muslim groups.

China says that it is committed to closer ties with Iran, a commitment that is linked to a new 25-year agreement the countries have focused on. This could have widespread ramifications as it will bring money to Iran’s economy and potentially increase Iran’s infrastructure investment. That could also lead Iran to focus more on its technological defense programs, such as missiles and drones which threaten Israel and the region.

Iran’s foreign minister Abdollahian reportedly said that “Iran is willing to expand oil and gas cooperation with China, be a reliable energy partner of China, and strengthen connectivity, trilateral cooperation and educational exchanges with China.” CGTN says that China and Iran “also exchanged views on resuming negotiations on the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.” This means China may be joining Russia in backing Iran in its talks with the West, which could have ramifications for Iran developing nuclear weapons or blackmailing the West using a threat to develop the weapons.

 RUSSIAN PRESIDENT Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi sit at opposite ends of the long Kremlin table in January. (credit: SPUTNIK/REUTERS)RUSSIAN PRESIDENT Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi sit at opposite ends of the long Kremlin table in January. (credit: SPUTNIK/REUTERS)

Iran’s Tasnim News also highlighted the visit to China. The article said the meetings focused on the development of economic cooperation. Iran wants to send more students to China to study. This is part of a large pivot by Iran’s regime to focus east, especially focusing on China. Iran has said that sanctions by the US and the West are illegal and China, Russia and Iran may now focus more efforts on getting around sanctions because Russia is similarly affected.

Tasnim notes that “during the meeting, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi conveyed the warm greetings of the Chinese President to the President of Iran, thanked the Iranian side for its participation in the third Afghanistan Neighbors Summit and for close cooperation and consultation between the two sides to implement the 25-year document.”

The two sides also exchanged views on the latest developments related to the Vienna talks and stressed the need to confront unilateral and illegitimate sanctions on some Western countries, Iran’s media said.


The Turkish president phoned Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog to offer his condemnation of the latest Palestinian terror attacks.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog (L) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (photo credit: ANNA RAYVA BARSKY/MAARIV)
Israeli President Isaac Herzog (L) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
(photo credit: ANNA RAYVA BARSKY/MAARIV)

In an unusual move, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan strongly condemned the three recent terror attacks that claimed 11 lives, in a call with President Isaac Herzog on Friday.

“Condemning the heinous terror attacks that recently took place in different cities in Israel, President Erdogan conveyed his condolences for those who lost their lives and wished a speedy recovery to the injured,” the office of the Turkish presidency said after the conversation.

Herzog thanked Erdogan “for his important remarks and noted that innocent lives were taken in despicable terror attacks and that this is an enormous tragedy,” according to the President’s Office.

Erdogan’s words followed a statement of condemnation issued last week by Turkey’s Embassy in Tel Aviv, following attacks in Beersheba, Hadera and Bnei Brak, carried out by Palestinian and Israeli-Arab terrorists.

Turkey has been a strong advocate of the Palestinians and has not condemned terror attacks against Israelis very often.

 Hatikva plays at Erdogan's palace as Israel resets ties with Turkey March 9, 2022. (credit: CHAIM TZACH/GPO)Hatikva plays at Erdogan’s palace as Israel resets ties with Turkey March 9, 2022. (credit: CHAIM TZACH/GPO)

The condemnation by Erdogan and the Turkish embassy is part of an attempt by both countries to repair their frayed diplomatic ties, which began with the inauguration of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s government in June and took off after the swearing-in of Herzog as president a month later.

Erdogan welcomed Herzog to Ankara last month in what was the first Israeli diplomatic visit to Turkey in over a decade.

On Thursday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said he will visit Israel and the Palestinian territories with Energy Minister Fatih Donmez in mid-May and discuss the appointment of ambassadors with his Israeli counterpart during the visit.

As a result of past tensions, neither country has ambassadors posted, although they do maintain embassies.

Herzog and Erdogan also spoke about the upcoming holiday period and agreed that peace and stability must be maintained in the region.

The Israeli security establishment has been preparing for an escalation of violence during Ramadan since Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad called for increased terror attacks on Israel. Concern is also high because Ramadan, which began on Saturday night, overlaps with both Passover and Easter in about two weeks.

Erdogan told Herzog that it was important that Palestinians be allowed freedom to worship on the Temple Mount, known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif.

“Erdogan… repeated that he expected the sensitivity shown by Israeli authorities – in keeping Al-Aqsa Mosque open 24 hours [a day] in the last 10 days of Ramadan and closing it to visits by non-Muslims – to continue,” his office said.

The Turkish president also told his Israeli counterpart that synergy in the energy field was mutually beneficial for the two countries, adding that he hoped the momentum built in recent talks would continue. Energy has emerged as a potential area of cooperation in talks to mend Turkey and Israel’s long-strained ties.

Erdogan wished Herzog and the citizens of Israel “a happy Passover” while Herzog wished Erdogan and the Turkish people a “Ramadan Kareem” – a “generous Ramadan” – according to Herzog’s office.

Reuters contributed to this report.