MANILA, Philippines — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is to make an official visit to Israel next month, his government confirms Monday, nearly two years after he sparked outrage by likening his deadly drug war to the Holocaust.
The September 2-5 trip will be the first by a Filipino leader since diplomatic ties were established between the two countries in 1967, a foreign department statement says.
Duterte and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will discuss how to develop ties on issues including security and counter-terrorism, according to the statement.
Duterte faced global condemnation in September 2016 when he compared his crackdown on drugs to Adolf Hitler’s genocidal drive in World War II.
“Hitler massacred three million Jews. Now there are three million drug addicts (in the Philippines). I’d be happy to slaughter them,” he said. Most mainstream historians say six million Jews died in the Holocaust.
Duterte later apologized to the Jewish community over his remarks, which he said were aimed at critics who had likened him to the Nazi leader.
— AFP
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte gives a speech the 117th police anniversary celebration at the national headquarters in Manila on August 8, 2018. (AFP Photo/Ted Aljibe)
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