Posted on 08/17/2006 10:59:34 AM PDT by lizol
Italy's Jews slam minister's contact with Hezbollah during Beirut visit
By Yossi Lempkowicz Updated: 16/Aug/2006 22:56
ROME (EJP)--- Leaders of Italy’s Jewish community lambasted their country’s foreign minister Wednesday for meeting Hezbollah leaders in Lebanon earlier this week and failing to condemn the Shiite group.
Riccardo Pacifici, spokesman and vice-president of Rome’s Jewish community, expressed particular displeasure after seeing Massimo d’Alema walking arm-in-arm with Hezbollah deputy Hussein Haji Hassan in photographs published in the Italian press.
"Jews view d’Alema’s declarations in the Middle East not only with apprehension but with indignation in so far as he failed to identify Nasrallah and the enemy of peoples concerned about peace, liberty and democracy," Pacifici said, referring to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
"Minister d’Alema continues during interviews to give advice to his ’Israeli friends’," he added. "With such declarations, Israel doesn’t need any other enemies," Pacifici said.
Pacifici also called on what he called democratic forces within the government to respect Italy’s relationship with a "friendly state such as Israel."
There are some 30,000 Jews living in Italy.
Destruction “deeply disturbing”
The Italian minister held talks in Beirut with Lebanese Prime minister Fuad Siniora and the president of the parliament, Nabih Berri.
D’Alema described the destruction he witnessed during a tour of southern Beirut, bombed by Israel during its five-week war against Hezbollah, as "deeply disturbing" .
According to the Italian news agency ANSA, the Italian foreign minister declared that Rome would not help mediate a prisoner exchange between Hezbollah and Israeli authorities, as reported in the Italian press over recent days.
The Lebanese parliament speaker, who suggested the idea, was no longer overseeing this aspect of negotiations, he explained.
Israel’s foreign minister Tzipi Livni had announced the availability of her is government to negotiate for the liberation of two soldiers captured by the Shi’ite militias.
On the Lebanese side, Berri had received from Hezbollah the assignment of mediator in the negotiations.
Italian Jews?
Now that is a minority!
Things are closing in fast for European Jews.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.