On March 2, vandals attacked the third Jewish cemetery in less than two weeks, in one case knocking down or damaging 539 large headstones. Since the beginning of 2017, there have been at least 128 bomb threats at 87 different Jewish community centers and schools across the country.
Despite the increase in bomb threats and vandalism directed at the Jewish community since his inauguration, Donald Trump waited weeks to publicly condemn the attacks, doing so only after a public outcry and criticism from government officials and some prominent Jewish leaders. [...]
For example, an article in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz titled “The Five Top Jewish Leaders More Concerned With Threats to Trump Than to US Jews,” notes that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who “has always prided himself on condemning antisemitism wherever and whenever it happens,” has been notably silent, appearing to follow Trump’s lead on how to talk — or not talk — about the issue.
When asked directly about the surge of anti-Jewish sentiment in the United States and Trump’s lack of response, Netanyahu said: “There is no greater supporter of the Jewish people and the Jewish state than Donald Trump. I think we should put that to rest.” [...]
The specter of Zionists leaders lining up to support an administration with at best a cavalier attitude regarding its Jewish citizens’ safety may appear to undermine the idea of Israel as protector of world Jewry. But such unholy alliances are part and parcel of the Zionist political tradition.
No comments:
Post a Comment