News Digest — 8/17/22
PA Leader In Germany: Israel Perpetrated ‘50 Holocausts’ Against Palestinians
Palestinian Authority Leader Mahmoud Abbas sparked controversy on Tuesday (16th) as he spoke at a press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, accusing Israel of “perpetrating 50 Holocausts against the Palestinian people.”
Interim Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid condemned Abbas’ remarks, calling them not only a “moral disgrace,” but also a “terrible perversion.”
Communications Minister Yoaz Hendel replied, “Exactly, Abbas was and remains a Holocaust denier. Personal meetings with him are a terrible message to the region.”
Scholz did not hold back, saying in a tweet: “I am disgusted by the outrageous remarks made by Palestinian Leader Mahmoud Abbas. For us Germans in particular, any relativization of the singularity of the Holocaust is intolerable and unacceptable. I condemn any attempt to deny the crimes of the Holocaust.”
The US government also rejected Abbas’ claims in a tweet, as Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Deborah Lipstadt said, “PA leader Mahmoud Abbas’ claim that Israel committed ‘50 Holocausts’ is unacceptable. Holocaust distortion can have dangerous consequences and fuels anti-Semitism.”
Germany’s ambassador to Israel Steffan Seibert tweeted: “What Mahmoud Abbas said in Berlin about “50 Holocausts” is wrong and unacceptable. Germany will never stand for any attempt to deny the singular dimension of the crimes of the Holocaust.”
During his visit to Germany, Abbas was asked if he would be willing to apologize for the Palestinian terrorist massacre of 11 members of the Israeli delegation to the 1972 Munich Olympics carried out by the Palestinian terrorist group Black September. Abbas refused, accusing Israel of “perpetrating 50 Holocausts against Palestinians in 50 years,” and repeated his frequent claim that Israel is an “apartheid state.”
Scholz rejected the use of the term “apartheid,” saying, “Naturally we have a different assessment with a view to Israeli politics, and I want to expressly say here that I do not espouse the use of the word apartheid and do not think it correctly describes the situation.”
(ap.com; israelhayom.com)
Israeli Leaders Tout Special Relations At India Independence Day Event
As India marked the 75th anniversary of its independence on Monday (15th), the local embassy in Israel hosted a large event attended by a variety of dignitaries, including Israeli political leaders, diplomats and business leaders.
The celebrations, which were at the Dan Tel Aviv Hotel, saw President Isaac Herzog deliver a keynote speech along with Prime Minister Yair Lapid, who sent a video message.
During his speech, Indian Ambassador to Israel Sanjeev Singla noted that Herzog’s father oversaw the transformation of relations between the two nations.
“Today we are celebrating the 75th anniversary of India’s independence and thirty years of full diplomatic relations between India and Israel. Mr. President, as we are aware, it was during the presidency of His Excellency Chaim Herzog that our bilateral diplomatic ties were upgraded to full ties,” Singla said, touting India’s longstanding embrace of its Jewish compatriots.
“Indeed, the civilizational bonds between India and Israel, enrich our contemporary understanding of the relations. Down through the centuries, the Jewish community has thrived in India, in harmony with other communities. And it is rare in Jewish history that you had such a long continuous period where you thrived in freedom and equality as you did in India. And I must say that we in India are proud of that. For several decades, the Indian diaspora – it’s a word we learned from you – has remained a positive and industrious force supporting Israel and connecting our two countries,” Singla said.
The Israeli president echoed the same sentiment in his speech, saying that in 2015, “I had the pleasure of greeting the first Indian President to visit the State of Israel, President Pranab Mukherjee, and today at this truly joyous event, I’m honored to convey the warm blessings of the people of Israel and the people of India.” He noted that “in India’s historical triumph, there are clear parallels to Israel’s national history.” He added that “today, just a few decades later [from independence] we find the two modern nations proudly bound together by creativity and democracy and by ingenuity, coupled with deep respect for timeless faith and belief systems, which transcend time. Israel and India both aim for equality and prosperity. We both face internal and external challenges. And we are both open to expanding partnerships by joining forces and working together to maximize our strengths, whether in science or agriculture, high tech or green tech and so much more.”
Herzog unveiled the Hebrew translation of the book “Indians at Herod’s gate,” written by former Indian Ambassador to Israel Navtej Sarna. Herzog and Singla gave final strokes to a painting by artist Akanksha Rastogi, marking the completion of 75 years of Independence of India.
In his video message, Prime Minister Yair Lapid said, “India is a proud democracy rooted in deep history and tradition. It is also an innovation superpower changing the world for the better. That’s why Israelis love India and their people. That’s why tens of thousands of Israelis visit India each year.” Lapid also noted that Israel “looks forward to the next 75 years and beyond. We look forward to seeing the next chapter of the wonderful story of India unfold, and will be excited to be part of the story as a partner, ally and friend.”
Friendly Fire Victim’s Family: “We Aren’t Angry At The Soldier Who Shot Our Son”
Staff Sergeant Natan Fitoussi, the IDF soldier who was killed overnight Monday (15th) in a friendly fire incident near the city of Tulkarm, was laid to rest Tuesday (16th) at 6:45 p.m.
Fitoussi immigrated from France in 2014 and studied in the “Shapira Tamar Ariel” religious high school. Netanya city council member Aharon Orgad eulogized the soldier, who was a resident of the city, telling Kan News: “such a tragedy, it’s sad and painful, a great loss. The people of Israel embrace you in these tough times.”
“What a charming guy, he had a huge heart, and was full of good, friendly, and unlimited personal charm,” said Rafael Biton-Netiv, a friend of Fitoussi. “Despite the hardships that the French community faces in acclimating to their new country, Natan always managed to pave his own way, with a modest smile, and a will to succeed.”
Meir Fitoussi, a relative of Natan’s, told Kan News: “the family is not angry at the soldier that shot him, not only are they not angry at him, they feel bad for him, and they would even like to meet him.”
(isnn.com; kannews.org.il)
Graves Of Fallen IDF Soldiers Vandalized In Jerusalem With Hate Messages
A number of graves of fallen IDF soldiers and a memorial plaque were discovered to be vandalized on Tuesday morning (16th) in the military section of the Mount of Olives cemetery in Jerusalem.
Israeli police released photographs of the damaged graves, showing smashed tombstones. The word “Nazis,” a Palestinian flag and scribbles were drawn to blot out the world “Israel” on a nearby commemorative memorial plaque from the Ministry of Defense.
Authorities have opened an investigation into the vandalism, and the IDF has been notified so that it can repair or replace the damaged tombstones and plaque.
Military cemeteries and public memorials to both terror victims and Israel’s fallen soldiers have been repeatedly targeted by vandals in recent years.
The graves of Druze-Israeli soldiers in the northern Israeli city of Shfaram were vandalized in June 2021.
Graves belonging to Private Muhammad Ismail Abu-Shah, who fell in Israel’s War of Independence, Staff Sergeant Ibrahim Shibel, who was killed in a terrorist attack in Gaza in 1993, and Border Police Senior Sergeant Ayman Hanifas, who was killed in the line of duty in 2008, were all damaged.
In June 2022, and Israeli flag at a memorial site for slain IDF soldiers in the Golan Heights was replaced with a Palestinian flag.
In January 2021, two Bedouin teenagers uploaded a video of themselves desecrating a Jewish graveyard in Moshav Nevatim.
The pair who were later arrested by police, filmed clips in which they gleefully smashed and destroyed headstones.
In May 2019, Arab students at the David Yellin Academic College of Education in Jerusalem vandalized a memorial for fallen IDF soldiers at their school. The vandals extinguished candles at the site, which had been set up prior to Israel’s annual Memorial day for slain soldiers, and wrote “Happy Ramadan” on a space in which people wrote the name of their deceased loved ones.
50 Years After Olympic Massacre, Israeli Marathon Team Wins Gold In Munich
Fifty years after 11 Israeli athletes were murdered at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Israel’s Men’s marathon team won gold at the European Championships in that same city.
The Israeli team won on Monday (15th) with a total time of 6 hours, 31 minutes and 48 seconds. Ethiopian-born Israeli runners Marhu Teferi and Gashau Ayale earned a silver and bronze medal, respectively, in the individual competition.
Kenyan-born Israeli runner Lonah Chemtai Salpeter won Israel’s fourth medal of the day, taking bronze in the 10,000 meter run and setting an Israeli record with her time of 30:36:37.
Israel’s impressive showing comes just weeks before the 50th anniversary of the 1972 Munich Massacre, during which the Palestinian terrorist group Black September murdered six Israeli coaches and five Israeli athletes after taking them hostage in the Olympic village.
“In Munich, after everything that happened here in history, to come back and win is something special,” Teferi said, according to Ynet.
As the anniversary approaches, the wounds remain fresh. All but one of the family members of the Israeli victims of the 1972 attack are planning to boycott a ceremony commemorating the victims in Munich next month. Ankie Spitzer, widow of the slain Israeli fencing coach Andrei Spitzer, said the families view Germany’s reported compensation offer as “a joke.”
The European Championships is a quadrennial, multi-sport competition that was founded in 2018 and includes nearly 50 nations. Russia, which won the inaugural competition, was banned from this year’s event (along with Belarus) because of its invasion of Ukraine.
