Edelstein: European leaders embrace Jews, then accuse Israel of ‘war crimes’

Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein accuses European leaders of duplicity in embracing their local Jewish communities in the aftermath of anti-Semitic attacks and hate crimes even as they accuse Israel of “fabricated war crimes.”

“The efforts to combat anti-Semitism and protect the Jews of Europe are sincerely appreciated,” Edelstein says at an International Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony in Brussels.

“But what is the message when elected officials march with the Jewish community one day, and against Israel the next? When leaders embrace the local rabbi in solidarity after a hate crime and then treat Hamas as a legitimate voice? When an attack is anti-Semitic, and then Israel is denounced for fabricated war crimes?” Edelstein adds.

“These contradictory messages do not build trust. Instead they prevent us from meeting our joint obligations,” he says.

— Marissa Newman