Lapid: Rafah Images Reminiscent Of Holocaust

Quote: "The destruction of homes must stop because it is inhuman, un-Jewish, and causes us great harm around the world."

[Yosef Tomi* Lapid is one of my least favourite Israeli politicians. He is a redneck racist whose views on many issues, like Arabic and Mizrahi culture for example, I find repugnant. His party, the third-largest in the Knesset has been buttressing the Sharon government. Lapid who was elected on a secular anti-orthodox platform has been forcing his party colleagues to either abstain or vote against measures designed to remove religious coercion in Israel.

So it is an indication of how far ordinary Israelis have been disgusted with the images coming out of Rafah that even Lapid is reminded of his grandmother during the Holocaust. - Sol Salbe]

Tomi* The article below misspells Lapid's nickname. It is actually his Hungarian birth name which is naturally spelt the Hungarian rather than English way.

[The Independent Middle East Information Service is generously sponsored by the Australian Jewish Democratic Society]

Lapid: Rafah images reminiscent of my grandma during holocaust
Justice Minister makes remarks during cabinet session, says house demolitions are inhumane, un-Jewish. Stresses he did not compare Israel to Nazis.
by Ilil Shahar
http://www.maarivintl.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=printArticle&articleID=7748

Justice Minister Yosef "Tommy" Lapid had harsh words for the government at this morning's cabinet meeting: "On TV I saw an old woman rummaging through the ruins of her house looking for her medication, and it reminded me of my grandmother who was thrown out of her house during the Shoah (Holocaust)".

"The destruction of homes must stop because it is inhuman, un-Jewish, and causes us great harm around the world", Lapid added. "In the end we'll be kicked out of the UN, we'll be put on trial in The Hague [seat of the International Court of Justice], and no one will want to have anything to do with us. It's simply unreasonable to pick up the paper and read about plans to destroy 2,000-3,000 homes in order to widen the Philadelphi route. It's clear that after the first 100 homes the world will stop us".

In response, Foreign Minister Shalom and Finance Minister Netanyahu attacked Lapid saying that those kinds of statements are unacceptable, and that he must recant.

Lapid responded by saying "I did not compare Israel to Germany or to the Nazis, but what I did say was that there is no way to atone for the suffering caused to an old and helpless woman".

(2004-05-23 12:29:25.0)

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