Haifa stands with Ukraine: "No negotiations with Kremlin terrorists!"

Over two hundred Israelis gathered at Haifa's government complex on 28 July 2022 to support Ukraine. The rally was held under the banner of the "No negotiations with Kremlin terrorists!" movement in Israel.

The rally organizers were the NGO Israeli Friends of Ukraine and a group of pro-Ukrainian activists based in Haifa.

The municipal authorities refused to accommodate the wishes of the rally organizers and did not allow the rally to be held in the city park opposite City Hall, located downtown.

Other pro-Russian actions taken by Mayor Einat Kalisch-Rotem have been noted. For example, after Russia's aggression against Ukraine began in 2022, she assured the mayor's office in St. Petersburg that "nothing will damage Haifa's sister-city relationship with St. Petersburg."

After that, the Haifa municipal authorities hung Russian flags to mark the Maccabiah Games 2022, even though Russia's team did not even participate in this sports event. As a result of public pressure, the Russian flags were taken down in the city.

Why was the decision made to hold the rally in support of Ukraine in Haifa? My question was answered by Anna Zharova, co-founder of Israeli Friends of Ukraine. She said Haifa was chosen because two weeks earlier, a pro-Putin meeting of supporters of Russia's war against Ukraine was held in this very city.

"Many Israelis were shocked by the fact that at the pro-Russian meeting in Haifa, you could hear people chanting "Allah Akbar!" and the Chechen slogan "Akhmad іs strength!" One of the speakers at this rally, held next to the premises of the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Haifa, called on Russia "to restore order in Ukraine and then come and restore order in Israel." After hearing these appeals urging a foreign state to interfere in Israeli affairs, many Israelis sympathetic to Ukraine got the idea to hold a counterrally featuring slogans about thwarting the Putin regime and appeals to the government of Israel not to "bend to Moscow's blackmail," Zharova emphasized.

The rally's most potent and popular chant was "TERRORUSSIA," referring to the aggressor country.

Two Ukrainian television channels did live broadcasts of the rally that were viewed by Ukrainian audiences, who could see that the Ukrainian people's struggle is supported in Israel.

The meeting participants sang Ukrainian songs and talked about what they hold dear to their hearts. The personal stories of friends and relatives who had experienced the horrors of the war in Ukraine were particularly effective.

The large number of Israeli and Ukrainian flags on display confirmed that many Israelis support Ukraine. Haifa remains pro-Ukrainian!

Text, photos, and video: Shimon Briman (Israel).

Translated from the Ukrainian by Marta D. Olynyk