Bibi Slams Deputy Minister’s Digs at US Jewry
Local Editor
‘Israeli' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday rapped his deputy foreign minister for "offensive" remarks in which she said US Jews were too "comfortable" to understand threats to ‘Israel.'
In an interview on i24 TV news channel, Tzipi Hotovely of Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party was quizzed Wednesday on the growing gulf between ‘Israel' and US Jewry, particularly youth.
"Maybe they're too young to remember how it feels to be a Jewish person without a Jewish homeland, without a Jewish [state]," she said in English, adding that US Jewry "never send their children to fight for their country".
"Most of the Jews don't have children serving as soldiers, going to the marines, going to Afghanistan or to Iraq," she said.
"Most of them are having quite a convenient life, they don't feel how it feels to be attacked by rockets."
US-educated Netanyahu, who is also foreign minister, described his deputy's comments as offensive.
"There is no place for such attacks, and her remarks do not reflect the position of the State of ‘Israel'," a government statement quoted him as saying.
"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemns Tzipi Hotovely's offensive remarks regarding the American Jewish community," it added.
Meanwhile, Haaretz challenged Hotovely on the facts, pointing out that the head of the US Air Force, General David Lee Goldfein. is Jewish, along with others "in the highest ranks".
"Around 200,000 US Jews live in ‘Israel,' with many young people serving in its military," it said.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
Comments
- Related News
Knesset Member: ‘Israel’ Facing Economic Disaster
3 months ago
