Herzog claims war in Palestine would save 'Western Civilization'
In an interview, Israeli President Isaac Herzog seeks to maintain Western support by asserting that the war "Israel" is fighting aims to protect "Western values and civilization."
"This war is a war that is not only between Israel and Hamas," claimed Israeli occupation President Isaac Herzog during an interview on MSNBC, before adding, "It’s a war that is intended, really, truly, to save Western civilization, to save the values of Western civilization."
President of the occupation state Isaac Herzog on MSNBC: "This war is not only a war between Israel and Hamas, it's a war that is intended, really, truly, to save Western civilization. To save the values of Western civilization." pic.twitter.com/qRiAA1Rhn1
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) December 5, 2023
Earlier this year, similar statements were made while attempting to increase Western governments' engagement in the war on Ukraine in favor of the latter.
Earlier in July, for example, Mikhail Podoliak, a senior advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said "Europe is lucky that there is a country like Ukraine, which is ready to defend the common European way of life."
Similarly, Josep Borrell made the "garden" versus "jungle" dichotomy, supporting his theory of "European exceptionalism" as he addressed students at a university program designed to raise the next generation of European diplomats.
At the time, Borrell said, "The rest of the world… is not exactly a garden. Most of the rest of the world is a jungle, and the jungle could invade the garden. The gardeners should take care of it, but they will not protect the garden by building walls."
This would also come in light of a statement made by Israeli Security Minister Yoav Gallant at the beginning of the war where he called Palestinians "human animals".
Herzog also did not miss the opportunity to target Iran in his statement and delegitimize liberation movements across the region, dubbing them Iranian proxies. A dichotomy of a war between "good" and "evil", Herzog claimed.
"We are attacked by Jihadist network, an empire of evil, emulating from Tehran with its forks in Lebanon with Hezbollah, with Hamas in Gaza, with the Houthis in Yemen. This empire is in Iraq, and this empire wants to conquer the entire Middle East," the leader of the occupation alleged before stressing "And if it weren’t for us, Europe would be next, and the United States follows."
On that note, it is worth noting that during a speech commemorating the holy day of Ashura, Yemeni Ansar Allah leader Sayyed Abdul-Malik Badereddine Al-Houthi said "Western civilization is savage; it rejects human values and morals, all the while spreading injustice and brutalizing whoever it wants without safeguarding the sanctity of religious symbols."
Read more: Palestine vs Ukraine: How Pro-Israeli lobbies ensure a double standard