From the Liveblog of
Thursday, May 20, 2021
US lawmakers slam Erdogan’s antisemitic remarks: ‘Tantamount to blood libel’
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The eight co-chairs of the US House Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism issue a statement condemning Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s antisemitic comments.
“We unequivocally condemn the recent antisemitic remarks of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, which are tantamount to blood libel against the Jewish people. We firmly believe the leader of an American partner should not use the same antisemitic tropes that have been used countless times to justify violence against Jews for centuries,” the statement reads. “We call upon President Erdogan to retract and renounce his remarks, which only serve to fuel the dangerous rise in global antisemitism and increase the threat to the Jewish community.”
The co-chairs of the Task Force are US Representatives Ted Deutch of FLorida, New Jersey’s Chris Smith, Marc Veasey of Texas, Kay Granger from Texas, Grace Meng of New York, Randy Weber of Texas, California’s Ted Lieu and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania.
Erdogan has accused Israel of “terrorism” against the Palestinians and recently said, “It is in their nature.”
“They are murderers, to the point that they kill children who are five or six years old. They only are satisfied by sucking their blood,” he said.
Erdogan on Monday said US President Joe Biden had “bloody hands” because of his support of Israel in the raging conflict in the Gaza Strip.
The Times of Israel Community.