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from the if-you-don't-have-something-nice-to-say... dept.
The BBC reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will "review" the appointment of his new communications director, Ran Baratz, over comments Baratz made on Facebook accusing President Obama of anti-Semitism and describing US Secretary of State John Kerry as having a "mental age" of no more than 12. Netanyahu has described the comments as totally unacceptable while US state department spokesman John Kirby said Mr Baratz's Facebook posts were "troubling and offensive". "Insults, certainly, aimed at individuals doesn't do anything to help advance and deepen the relationship. ... We learn in kindergarten about name-calling, and it's simply not a polite thing to do, ' Kirby said.
The Facebook posts emerged shortly after Netanyahu announced the appointment of philosophy lecturer Mr Baratz as his chief spokesman. In March, Baratz described President Obama's criticism of Netanyahu's opposition to the Iran nuclear deal as "the modern face of anti-Semitism in Western and liberal countries".
Netanyahu quickly distanced himself from the comments but indicated the appointment remained valid. "I have just read Dr Ran Baratz's posts on the internet, including those relating to the president of the state of Israel, the president of the United States and other public figures in Israel and the United States," Netanyahu said in a statement. "Those posts are totally unacceptable and in no way reflect my positions or the policies of the government of Israel. Dr Baratz has apologized and has asked to meet me to clarify the matter following my return to Israel."
Baratz, in a Facebook post Thursday night, apologized for "the hurtful remarks" and for not informing the prime minister of them. Baratz said the posts "were written frivolously and sometimes humorously, in a tone suited to the social networks and a private individual." Baratz added, "It is very clear to me that in an official post one has to behave and express oneself differently."
(Score: 5, Insightful) by tangomargarine on Saturday November 07 2015, @08:46PM
I'm starting to tune out any time anyone is publicly called Anti-Semitic because it seems like there's such a low bar for it. Disagree with any public policy of Israel? Anti-Semite! Do anything but apologize profusely and loudly for the Holocaust? Anti-Semite! Someone being called Anti-Semitic surprises me about as much as accusing a kid of being afraid of the dark or accusing politicians of lying.
And yes, the Holocaust was terrible. Really terrible. But it was 70 years ago. Are they really going to milk that indefinitely in the public arena? Hitler fucked over lots of people, it blew; let's move on.
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 2) by opinionated_science on Saturday November 07 2015, @10:46PM
Yes, sometimes it is hard to remember we are all born human. The need to form tribes is something we hope education can attenuate over time...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 08 2015, @10:21AM
Do anything but apologize profusely and loudly for the Holocaust? Anti-Semite!
And if anyone questions the "evidence" for holocaust, they attack you systematically and will do their best to discredit and destroy you. And make an example out of you.
Given that the best "evidence" for holocaust is dopey eye-witness accounts of bodies burning in open pits and shrunken heads and buckets of jewish flesh jumping around and soap made from jewish fat and lampshades made of jewish skin. Nevermind the fact that the holocaust broke the laws of mathematics and physics.
Heaven forbid if anyone questions them or anything else, and they will find out where you live and have you murdered.
(Score: 2, Flamebait) by Phoenix666 on Sunday November 08 2015, @02:07PM
Yes, they will, because they really don't have anything else to rely on. Israel has made the Holocaust into its greatest national resource, because it has none of any other kind. The trouble is that like any resource, the more they use it the less value it has, and at this point they are quite close to a critical threshhold below which it will cease to have any value at all. The friction between Netanyahu and Obama are the evidence of that.
The Israelis who keep re-electing Netanyahu don't realize how dangerous it is for him to keep biting the hand that feeds them. Israel has exactly one friend (although the word "host" is more descriptive of the relationship) in the world. Everyone else hates them or doesn't pay attention to them at all. And why should they do otherwise? Israel does nothing strategically useful or genuinely helpful for any other people or nation.
The best thing the United States could do for Israel is to cut it off completely. They will then be forced to get along with others or vanish.
Washington DC delenda est.