Ukraine publishes history book that portrays Israel as 'victim'

Ukraine will soon be rolling out a history textbook for high school students that depicts Israel as the victim of "Arab-initiated wars".

The book claims to promote critical engagement and identify the causes of the "Arab-Israeli conflict".

The 300-page book, which was seen by The Jerusalem Post, contains 11 pages that deal with Israel, discussing the period from 1948 to Israel’s latest war on the Gaza Strip.

The book talks about the "struggle" of establishing a Jewish State and portrays Israel's wars against its neighbours as "existential battles against Arab states armed by the Soviet Union".

When explaining the 7 October attack, the textbook says the attack was carried out by Hamas members and Gazans who joined forces to "commit mass massacres – murders, torture, rape".

It also accuses civilians in Gaza of celebrating "atrocities", appearing to justify Israel's indiscriminate war against the Gaza Strip, which has so far killed over 55,000 civilians.

"The ‘civilian population’ of Gaza joyfully welcomed the news of these massacres...The terrorists also captured and took hundreds of hostages to the Gaza Strip, including citizens of other countries, the elderly, and children," the textbook reads.

The textbook also accuses Hamas of stealing humanitarian aid - a claim Israel has made without providing evidence.

When talking about previous wars, the book talks of the "desire of Arab leaders to annihilate Israel".

The book also shifts blame away from Israel for the Palestinian refugee crisis claiming that Arab states keep Palestinians as refugees for political reasons.

In 1948, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were ethnically cleansed from their homes in what is now Israel by Zionist militias, in an event known as the Nakba. This paved the way for the establishment of Israel and created the Palestinian refugee crisis.

The book also discusses the reasons behind the emergence of “terrorist organisations” in the Middle East, while also asking what modern Ukraine can learn from the experiences of forming the State of Israel.

Author Igor Shchupak told The Jerusalem Post that around 165,000 copies have been printed so far. It was chosen by the Ukrainian Education Ministry in a competition for a new 11th-grade history book.

The ministry recommended the book, and the state paid for its publication.

Shchupak, the director of the Tkuma Ukrainian Institute for Holocaust Studies, is responsible for promoting Jewish history and combating antisemitism in Ukraine.

Ukraine and Israel have a complex relationship. While Ukraine maintains strong ties with Israel, Israel was slow to condemn Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Despite pleas from Ukraine, Israel has only offered humanitarian aid to Ukraine as its war with Russia rages on, instead of military support.

Ukraine has also maintained strong ties with Palestine, recognising its independence, reiterating support for a two-state solution and has expressed willingness to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza.