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Italy's prime minister links Gaza war to Holocaust
BETHLEHEM, West Bank Italy's prime minister on Wednesday called for empathy for all victims, whether from the Nazi Holocaust or Israel's war in Gaza, drawing a link that threatened to tarnish a visit that has cemented his already warm ties with Israel.
Silvio Berlusconi's comments, while avoiding direct comparisons to the Holocaust, nonetheless could touch a raw nerve in Israel a country that was founded in the wake of the Nazi massacre of 6 million Jews and that is home to more than 200,000 Holocaust survivors.
Berlusconi has been warmly welcomed throughout this three-day visit to Israel, and he has repeatedly spoken of his strong affinity for the Jewish state and expressed sorrow over the Holocaust.
During a speech to the Israeli parliament early Wednesday, Berlusconi called Israel's war against Gaza militants last year justified self-defense. He said a U.N. report accusing Israel of war crimes tried to "incriminate Israel for its legitimate response" to Palestinian militants' rocket attacks.
But during a last-minute meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank, the Italian leader acknowledged the Gaza offensive, which killed some 1,400 people, including an estimated 900 civilians, had caused great pain to the Palestinians.
"Whenever war takes the place of peace, whenever violence takes the place of reason, humanity disappears. The relationship between men that should always be kept intact disappears," Berlusconi said at a joint news conference with Abbas. "So just as it's right to cry for the victims of the Shoah, it's right to show pain for what happened in Gaza."
Shoah is the Hebrew term for the Holocaust.
The Holocaust is an extremely sensitive topic in Israel, where the attempted genocide of European Jewry is viewed as a unique event without parallel.
Berlusconi is one of Israel's closest friends in Europe.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office declined comment on his remark about the Holocaust.
Throughout his trip, Berlusconi received a welcome afforded to few other leaders. He was wined and dined by Israeli leaders, brought eight government ministers with him for a joint Israeli-Italian Cabinet meeting and got a standing ovation for a speech to the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem.
In the speech, Berlusconi told Israeli lawmakers that the world "cannot accept" a nuclear-armed Iran.
From the podium of the Knesset, or parliament, Berlusconi called on the international community to pursue stronger sanctions against Tehran, which Italy like Israel and the West suspects is developing nuclear weapons.
"We cannot accept the nuclearization of a country whose leaders have explicitly expressed their desire to destroy Israel, have denied the Holocaust and delegitimized the Jewish state," Berlusconi said.
Iranian leaders, who have spoken repeatedly of Israel's annihilation, deny Iran is building nuclear bombs.
Berlusconi repeatedly criticized Iran during his visit. On Tuesday, he announced that Italy had cut business ties with Iran by a third since 2007, noting that Italian energy giant ENI has decided not to extend an existing contract to develop an important oil field in Iran.
Berlusconi's speech before the Israeli lawmakers an honor bestowed on few world leaders was a sign of the friendship that has grown much closer under his stewardship.
Before Berlusconi spoke, Netanyahu hailed him "as a courageous leader who always stands by Israel's side."
He concluded a speech filled with praise for Berlusconi with a story of a heavily pregnant Italian woman who confronted a German officer during World War II and, at great peril to her own life, persuaded him to let an arrested Jewish woman go.
This woman's actions "saved the life of the Jewish woman and cast, if only for a brief moment, a scintilla of humanity and courage upon the great darkness that enveloped the whole of Europe at that time," Netanyahu said.
"That courageous woman's name was Rosa. And one of her children is called Silvio Berlusconi."
The two men embraced, and the Italian leader took out a white handkerchief to wipe tears from his eyes.
Wednesday marked the second anniversary of Rosa Bossi Berlusconi's death.
Italy's prime minister links Gaza war to Holocaust - Yahoo! News
BETHLEHEM, West Bank Italy's prime minister on Wednesday called for empathy for all victims, whether from the Nazi Holocaust or Israel's war in Gaza, drawing a link that threatened to tarnish a visit that has cemented his already warm ties with Israel.
Silvio Berlusconi's comments, while avoiding direct comparisons to the Holocaust, nonetheless could touch a raw nerve in Israel a country that was founded in the wake of the Nazi massacre of 6 million Jews and that is home to more than 200,000 Holocaust survivors.
Berlusconi has been warmly welcomed throughout this three-day visit to Israel, and he has repeatedly spoken of his strong affinity for the Jewish state and expressed sorrow over the Holocaust.
During a speech to the Israeli parliament early Wednesday, Berlusconi called Israel's war against Gaza militants last year justified self-defense. He said a U.N. report accusing Israel of war crimes tried to "incriminate Israel for its legitimate response" to Palestinian militants' rocket attacks.
But during a last-minute meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank, the Italian leader acknowledged the Gaza offensive, which killed some 1,400 people, including an estimated 900 civilians, had caused great pain to the Palestinians.
"Whenever war takes the place of peace, whenever violence takes the place of reason, humanity disappears. The relationship between men that should always be kept intact disappears," Berlusconi said at a joint news conference with Abbas. "So just as it's right to cry for the victims of the Shoah, it's right to show pain for what happened in Gaza."
Shoah is the Hebrew term for the Holocaust.
The Holocaust is an extremely sensitive topic in Israel, where the attempted genocide of European Jewry is viewed as a unique event without parallel.
Berlusconi is one of Israel's closest friends in Europe.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office declined comment on his remark about the Holocaust.
Throughout his trip, Berlusconi received a welcome afforded to few other leaders. He was wined and dined by Israeli leaders, brought eight government ministers with him for a joint Israeli-Italian Cabinet meeting and got a standing ovation for a speech to the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem.
In the speech, Berlusconi told Israeli lawmakers that the world "cannot accept" a nuclear-armed Iran.
From the podium of the Knesset, or parliament, Berlusconi called on the international community to pursue stronger sanctions against Tehran, which Italy like Israel and the West suspects is developing nuclear weapons.
"We cannot accept the nuclearization of a country whose leaders have explicitly expressed their desire to destroy Israel, have denied the Holocaust and delegitimized the Jewish state," Berlusconi said.
Iranian leaders, who have spoken repeatedly of Israel's annihilation, deny Iran is building nuclear bombs.
Berlusconi repeatedly criticized Iran during his visit. On Tuesday, he announced that Italy had cut business ties with Iran by a third since 2007, noting that Italian energy giant ENI has decided not to extend an existing contract to develop an important oil field in Iran.
Berlusconi's speech before the Israeli lawmakers an honor bestowed on few world leaders was a sign of the friendship that has grown much closer under his stewardship.
Before Berlusconi spoke, Netanyahu hailed him "as a courageous leader who always stands by Israel's side."
He concluded a speech filled with praise for Berlusconi with a story of a heavily pregnant Italian woman who confronted a German officer during World War II and, at great peril to her own life, persuaded him to let an arrested Jewish woman go.
This woman's actions "saved the life of the Jewish woman and cast, if only for a brief moment, a scintilla of humanity and courage upon the great darkness that enveloped the whole of Europe at that time," Netanyahu said.
"That courageous woman's name was Rosa. And one of her children is called Silvio Berlusconi."
The two men embraced, and the Italian leader took out a white handkerchief to wipe tears from his eyes.
Wednesday marked the second anniversary of Rosa Bossi Berlusconi's death.
Italy's prime minister links Gaza war to Holocaust - Yahoo! News
