Isaac Herzog pays tribute to Queen’s Bergen-Belsen visit
Israel’s Opposition leader Isaac Herzog has paid tribute to the Queen’s decision to visit to Bergen Belsen on her visit to Germany later this month, saying it is “directly linked” to the State of Israel.
Appearing at the Jewish News’ UK-Israel conference in Westminster, Herzog recalled how his father – former Israeli president Gen. Chaim Herzog – was present at the camps liberation, speaking Yiddish to dying prisoners who didn’t believe he was a liberator “from Eretz Israel”.
READ MORE:
- Israeli and British experts clash over Iran at JN policy conference
- VIDEO: Tobias Ellwood MP: ‘We oppose boycotts and attempts to delegitimise Israel’
- #UKIsrael2015 – Israel’s Deputy PM: ‘We want to resume negotiations for peace’
- VIDEO – Silvan Shalom: ‘Unilateral action can never work’
The leader of Zionist Union, Herzog used the platform to blast Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, especially on his pre-election comments, urging supporters to vote because “the Arabs are voting in droves”.
He said: “It carried unpleasant undertones, and we are clearly paying the price. The comments are being used to erode our most important defence shield, namely that we are the only tru democracy in the Middle East.”
He continued: “It was unacceptable. It should never have been said by a prime minister of Israel. There are lines we should not cross.”
Having paid tribute to H.E. Daniel Taub, outgoing Israeli ambassador to the UK, he reasserted the need to restart negotiations with the Palestinians, but said “Netanyahu’s coalition will not allow it”.
On Gaza, Herzog showed a similar urgency, describing the coastal strip as “a pressure cooker that could explode again”.
He said: “We have to deal with it, return it to the Palestinian Authority, and this should be a multi-party process, including Egypt and European members. We need to come forward with a plan, building towards long-term demilitarisation.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
