[ad_1]
Israel’s new ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely, 42, used her first speech during an event organized by the Board of Deputies of British Jews to describe the Nakba as “a very strong and very popular Arab lie.” He added that the displacement of Palestinians since 1948, when Israel was created on their land, is “a made up story.”
The far-right politician has a history of commenting on Palestinians who are perceived as racists and inflammatory. His latest comments can be seen on Twitter in a short video clip from the recent online meeting. It was uploaded by British Jews against the occupation.
The organization condemned the decision of the Board of Deputies to house Hotovely. “We will never defeat racism as long as our community organizations are giving it a platform,” he told the Board. “Hotovely’s views cannot be allowed to normalize in our community with invitations to celebratory events.”
Hotovely’s comments have sparked outrage, not only because of his racism, but also because an organization recognized by the government as representing mainstream Jewish thought in Britain provided a platform for such views.
British Jews Against Occupation has circulated a petition urging Jews in Britain to write to the Foreign Office to reject their accreditation. “Hotovely has shown a total disregard for international law throughout his political career and has an appalling record of racist and inflammatory behavior,” he explains. “This includes inviting the far-right organization Lehava to speak in the Knesset, supporting campaigns to prevent Jewish-Arab relations, and referring to Israeli human rights activists as ‘war criminals'” and ‘an enemy within.’ “.
READ: Time to make it official and mark Israel as an apartheid state
Chief Reform Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner also criticized Hotovely’s record. “Your political views on the Palestinians, annexation and religious pluralism collide with our core values,” he told the guardian. Labor fellow Lord Jeremy Beecham told the Jewish Chronicle that, “The appointment of a far-right ambassador, while typical of the current Israeli government, will do nothing to win friends in the UK – or indeed any other reasonable country.”
In June, when Hotovely’s appointment was first announced, it seemed his views were too extreme even for the Board of Deputies. According to the Jewish Chronicle, launched an open attack on the Junta for its support of a Palestinian state in its 2019 Jewish Manifesto. She accused the 260-year-old body of failing to consult the “Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel, our ambassador, [or] any other political authority “before the publication of the manifesto.
Despite the apparent disagreement, the Board has tended to support the views of the Israeli extreme right in opposition to internationally accepted positions. A recent example was pressuring the British government to change the status of Jerusalem.
The Nakba describes the forcible expulsion of 750,000 Palestinians by Zionist paramilitary groups from 1947 onwards. Since then, around 600 Palestinian villages have been wiped off the map to create a Jewish majority in Israel. Israeli historians have called this process “ethnic cleansing.” Despite the large body of evidence, the denial of the Nakba has been incorporated by far-right Zionist groups.
READ: Racism in Israel is not going away, it’s getting worse
[ad_2]
