Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) National President Morton A. Klein released the following statement:

It is deeply painful for freedom-loving, humane, sensible Americans, including the Jewish community, to see the Biden administration renege on its prior approval of the transfer of two dozen Polish MiG jet fighters to Ukraine. Those MiGs could help prevent the slaughter of more innocent Ukrainian men, women and children – including our Jewish brothers and sisters. After Russia’s unprovoked deadly bombing of a maternity and children’s hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine, and targeting of other civilians, it is tragic that the U.S. vetoed this military aid that Ukraine so badly needs to defend its citizens.

Refraining from providing Ukraine with needed military aid is likely to result in more bloodshed, and is likely to embolden more aggression against innocents. As the Wall Street Journal editorial board noted, the Biden administration’s decision to back down on transferring the previously agreed-to Polish MiGs “may let Mr. Putin believe his threats will make NATO stand down” if Russia escalates to using chemical weapons or tactical nukes on the Ukrainians. (“NATO’s Polish MiG-29 Fiasco,” WSJ Editorial, Mar. 9, 2022.)

To us, the failure to sufficiently arm the Ukrainians brings up painful memories of the FDR administration’s refusal to bomb the railroads to the death camps, which could have saved millions of innocent Jewish and other lives in World War II. Today’s failure also reminds us of failures to provide sufficient arms to the starving Jews in the Warsaw ghetto, who, armed only with homemade grenades and a few pistols, bravely rose up against and held off the powerful German army for weeks.

We also again urge the Biden administration to restore and promote energy independence in the U.S. and Europe by reinstating U.S. support for the U.S.-Canada Keystone pipeline, and the Israel-Cyprus-Greek-European EastMed natural gas pipeline.