Subscribe to Print Edition | Fri., January 16, 2009 Tevet 20, 5769 | | Israel Time: 04:59 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
Haaretz Toolbar
Diplomacy
Defense Jewish World Opinion National
Print Edition
Car Rental
Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate Joy of Giving Travel Week's End Anglo File
Last update - 04:59 16/01/2009
Israel using Holocaust guilt to continue Gaza op, says British Jewish MP
By The Associated Press
Tags: Gaza, Israel News, Hamas 

A British lawmaker declared Thursday that Israel was taking advantage of the guilt many non-Jews feel over the Holocaust to ruthlessly press ahead with its offensive against Hamas in Gaza.

Gerald Kaufman, a governing Labour Party legislator, sharply criticized Israel in a House of Commons debate on Gaza, arguing that the Jewish state has exploited guilt that much of the world feels for having ignored the slaughter of six million of Jews during World War II.



"The present Israeli government ruthlessly and cynically exploit the continuing guilt from Gentiles over the slaughter of Jews in the Holocaust as justification for their murder of Palestinians," he said.

The offensive started in response to Hamas rocket attacks on Israeli cities. Medical officials in Gaza have said about 1,100 Palestinians have been killed since the offensive started. Thirteen Israelis have been killed in the fighting, including three civilians who were slain in rocket attacks on southern Israel.

Kaufman, a frequent critic of Israel who was raised as an Orthodox Jew, commented on the claim that large numbers of the Palestinian victims were militants. "I suppose the Jews fighting for their lives in the Warsaw ghetto could have been dismissed as militants," he said.

Kaufman urged the British government to impose an arms embargo on Israel.

"My grandmother was ill in bed when the Nazis came to her home town.... A
German soldier shot her dead in her bed, he said. My grandmother did not die to provide cover for Israeli soldiers murdering Palestinian grandmothers in Gaza," the MP said.


Related articles:
  • Gaza offensive spurs rise in anti-Semitic incidents across Europe
  • IN PICTURES / Tens of thousands attend pro-Israel rallies in Europe, N.Y.
  • MeshalProtesters against Gaza op heckle Israeli ambassador at Holocaust ceremony in Poland
    • Bookmark to del.icio.us  
     
    Top target
    An IAF strike in the center of Gaza City kills Hamas Interior Minister Said Siam.
    Direct hit
    Olmert to Ban: Gunmen fired at IDF troops from UN Gaza compound.
     Read & React
    Harel & Issacharoff: Egypt's Gaza truce plan is mostly bad for Hamas
    Responses: 59
    Olmert to Ban: Gunmen fired at IDF troops from UN Gaza compound
    Responses: 61
    Gideon Levy: The IDF has no mercy for the children in Gaza nursery schools
    Responses: 92
    IDF kills Hamas interior minister in Gaza airstrike
    Responses: 40
    U.S. may cut $1billion in loan guarantees to Israel over West Bank settlements
    Responses: 33


    More Headlines
    02:44 IDF kills Hamas Interior Minister Said Sayyam in Gaza airstrike
    03:14 ANALYSIS / Would Gaza be better with weak Hamas or no Hamas?
    00:45 PROFILE / Slain Hamas minister was key figure in '07 Gaza coup
    04:36 Inquiries show Olmert version of UN Gaza vote spat closer to truth than Rice's
    04:35 Ari Shavit / Gaza op may be squeezing Hamas, but it's destroying Israel's soul
    01:08 Rice cautions Israel over IDF shelling of UN warehouse
    23:34 Boy, 7, seriously hurt as Gaza rockets slam into Be'er Sheva
    03:38 Palestinian sources: 'Iranian unit' of Hamas has been destroyed
    23:16 IDF battalion commander, two troops lightly wounded in Gaza fighting
    03:13 A.B. Yehoshua / An open letter to Gideon Levy
    04:59 Israel using Holocaust guilt to continue Gaza op, says British Jewish MP
    04:42 Israel wants to replace Thai migrant workers with Sudanese refugees
    04:49 Expert: Israel faces worst water crisis in 80 years
    04:57 Homeowners still await compensation for Lebanon war damage
    00:16 Livni to set off for Washington for talks on Gaza cease-fire
    23:01 UN Chief Ban: May take `few more days` to work out details of Gaza truce
    18:22 Israel Navy ships turn back boat carrying Gaza humanitarian aid
    20:59 WATCH / Obama: We must engage Syria and Iran in Middle East peace efforts
    14:26 Protesters against Gaza op heckle Israeli ambassador at Holocaust ceremony in Poland
    17:57 Ahmadinejad calls on Obama to stop supporting Israel
    Previous Editions
    Special Offers
    Advertisement
    Summer in Israel
    Israeli style - Tzofim Chetz V'Keshet 2009
    Blue And White Forever Israel Army T-shirts
    Wear with Proud Donate the Soldiers Kit
    You can make a direct IMPACT!
    on the life of an Israeli soldier
    State of Israel Bonds
    During this time of market volatility, Israel bonds can help.
    SURF RAMBAM
    Keep current about new-wave medical care, education and research.
    Summer Camp in Israel
    The best place for your children this summer
    Fattal Hotel Chain
    Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel.
    Eldan Rent a Car
    Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations
    Jewish Singles Personal Ads
    Find the love of your life on JDate.com
    Junkyard
    Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt
    Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Underground | Site rules |
    Real Estate in Israel | Travel to Israel with Haaretz | Hotels Israel | Restaurants Israel | Tourist attractions Israel | Shops Israel
    birthright Israel | Search engine marketing
    Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.
    © Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved