Is this the smart diplomacy we keep hearing so much about?
Speaking Wednesday at a Jewish conference on anti-Semitism organized by the European Jewish Union (EJU,) Howard Gutman told participants he was apologizing in advance if his words are not to their liking. He then proceeded to make controversial statements about his views on Muslim anti-Semitism, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Friday.
A distinction should be made between traditional anti-Semitism, which should be condemned and Muslim hatred for Jews, which stems from the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, Gutman said. He also argued that an Israeli-Palestinian peace treaty will significantly diminish Muslim anti-Semitism.
The American envoy, a lawyer by training, is Jewish and played a major role in fundraising for the Democratic Party. He was appointed to the post by President Barack Obama.
Left unexplained: Muslim pogroms against Jews that pre-date the founding of modern Israel, the violence against Christians and other non-Muslims in Muslim lands that keeps occurring, the rise of “honor” crimes in Islamic communities outside Muslim countries, and so forth. Should we assume that the repeated election wins by Islamists after the Arab Spring are also Israel’s fault?
Gutman also took the opportunity of the conference to show a video of himself getting a warm reception from a Muslim school in Brussels.
Update: Ron Radosh makes the connection between what Gutman said and the Obama-Panetta DoD’s Iran policy.
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