Article in The Times of Israel by Andy Blumenthal: On college campuses across America, why do we hear "free Palestine" but not "free Ukraine" when the Ukrainian issue is so much larger and more deadly?

1. THE BLOGS
Andy Blumenthal
Leadership With Heart
Free Free Free…Ukraine!
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On college campuses across America, why do we hear “free Palestine” but not
“free Ukraine” when the Ukrainian issue is so much larger and more deadly?
Russia’s Occupation of Ukraine
Russia is the largest country in the world; Israel is one of the smallest.
4/30/24, 7:24 AM Free Free Free...Ukraine! | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/free-free-free-ukraine/ 1/5

2. Russia is totalitarian and aligned with troublesome countries such as China,
Iran, and North Korea; Israel is a democracy and one of the closest allies of the
USA.
Russia threatens all of NATO with imperialistic expansionist goals and has the
potential for escalation to WW3; Israel is fighting for its very existence.
Russia, which annexed Crimea in 2014 and then further invaded Ukraine in
2022, occupies 100,000 square kilometers (or 20% of Ukraine), and they
continue to advance and take more of sovereign Ukraine today.
Over 10 million Ukrainians have been displaced: 3.7 million within the
country and 6.5 million outside of it.
There are 14.6 million Ukrainians in need of humanitarian assistance.
Already nine months ago, there were an estimated 70,00 Ukrainians killed and
120,000 casualties.
20,000 Ukrainian children were forcibly transferred to Russia.
In 1932–33 Stalin’s Soviet Union starved 3.9 million Ukrainians to death.
Russia repeatedly threatens to use nuclear weapons.
Protesters Are Silent When It Comes to Ukraine.
Isn’t it strange that the students on American campuses don’t say a word about
the injustices to the people of Ukraine?
From our experience with the protests, you’d expect to hear:
Free, Free, Free Ukraine.
4/30/24, 7:24 AM Free Free Free...Ukraine! | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
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3. But incredibly, we don’t hear a word or even a peep about any of this from any of
the protesters (students or faculty).
Why?
There are no Zionists to blame for the Russian aggression.
There are no Jews to hate in the Russian occupation.
There is no Israel to destroy in Russia’s overrunning of Ukraine.
Protests Have Nothing to Do with Social Justice.
So what’s clear is that the protests have nothing to do with social justice and
everything to do with hatred of Jews.
Shh! Don’t tell anyone that the Jews have been indigenous to Israel since
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for over 3,800 years (over 2,300 years before
Muhammad was born).
From the Polish border to the Black Sea.
End the occupation of Ukraine!
Communism is apartheid!
Russia controls the world!
Divest from Russia!
Stop the genocide!
Ceasefire now!”
“
4/30/24, 7:24 AM Free Free Free...Ukraine! | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/free-free-free-ukraine/ 3/5

4. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andy Blumenthal is a dynamic, award-winning leader who writes frequently about Jewish life,
culture, and security. All opinions are his own.
Shh! Don’t tell anyone that the Palestinians have rejected peace and
coexistence since the early 1900s.
Shh! Don’t tell anyone that Israel is only defending itself after the latest
barbaric Hamas terror attack of October 7.
Shh! Don’t tell anyone about any of the real atrocities going on around the
world when instead you can scapegoat and seek the destruction of Israel and
the Jewish people.
For the Hamas terrorist protesters on American campuses, Ukraine isn’t even a
blip on the political radar, nor do they seem to care less—same with Chinese
threats to invade Taiwan, the genocide of the Uyghurs, ethnic cleansing of the
Rohingya, oppression of women in Iran and Afghanistan, raging civil war and
humanitarian crises in Syria, Yemen, Ethiopia, and Sudan, and more than 50
million victims of modern-day slavery (including human trafficking), and so
many more who are oppressed—and now you understand why they focus
exclusively on “the Zionists.”
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4/30/24, 7:24 AM Free Free Free...Ukraine! | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
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5. D dylanstaxes016
4 hours ago
This is so silly. And it's presented like a brilliant gotcha.
I will explain.
Protests in America are not an abstract airing of grievances. Protests in America are
actions to cause pressure to effect change.
Protests in America happen when an ally or the American government is engaged in
something that is opposed.
Do you recognize how Ukraine is an inappropriate comparison?
The American government doesn't arm Russia. Russia isn't an ally. But you think there
should be performative actions against Russia. For fun? To take selfies?
To apply pressure to Putin? You think American college students can apply pressure to
Putin?
(Edited)
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