http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/D677FCD1-9341-405C-AD2C-93E52E8DB77A.htm
Israel embraces Italian neo-fascist
By Khalid Amayreh in the West Bank
Monday 24 November 2003, 19:15 Makka Time, 16:15 GMT
Israeli government officials and opposition leadersÂhave met the leader of Italy's neo-fascist National Alliance party, Gianfranco Fini.
Fini, who is also Italyâs deputy prime minister, arrived on an official visit to Israel on Sunday night. The visit has drawn harsh criticism from leftist politicians and Palestinians.
On Monday, he met with Israeli President Moshe Katsav, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom as well as opposition leader Shimon Peres.
Finiâs visit to Israel at the Sharon governmentâs invitation drew angry reactions from leaders of the leftist opposition. Yossi Beilin, a former minister of Justice and one-time deputy-foreign minister, called the visit a âdisgrace to Israelâ.
âIt is only because he (Fini) supports the fence that he is receiving a red carpet here.â
Meretz leader Yossi Sarid also criticised the visit, calling it âopportunisticâ and âa concordance of interestsâ.
"It's a shame, a real shame," he said.Â"The battle against anti-Semitism has to be waged from a firm base of values and principles. If the world senses that it is a political, cynical and opportunist Israeli fight, its foundations will be shaken and it will completely lose its moral validity."
Supporter of Israel
Israeli spokespeople contacted by Aljazeera.net refused to explain why Israel decided to invite the Italian fascist leader despite the fact that Jews suffered tremendously at the hands of the fascists in Europe in the past century.
One Israeli spokesman, who asked for anonymity, argued that âFini has been reformedâ.
However, when asked whether Fini was still sympathetic to the legacy of Italian fascistic movement, the Israeli spokesperson remarked that âthe important thing is that he supports Israel. We canât reject or rebuff foreign leaders as long as they support our country. Other aspects of their ideology is none of our businessâ.
This view, however,Âis rareÂamong Israeli intellectuals and public opinion leaders.
Roni Shakid, a prominent writer in Israelâs popular paper, Yediot Aharanot, suggested that opportunism is the driver of this visit.
âThey are courting him (Fini) because he supports the security wall and the settlements and because he is deputy prime minister and could become Prime Minister one day,â Shakid told Aljazeera.net.
âYou know (Israeli Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon is a close friend of (Italian Prime Minister Silvio) Berlusconi, and he canât refuse to receive his deputy in Israel,â he added.
Anti-Muslim views
Sharon was on a three-day visit to Italy last week, ostensibly to thank Italy for its support for Israel and opposition to frequent EU criticism of Israeli policies.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz quoted foreign ministry sources as citing three main reasons for the Israeli decision to court Fini, who is known for his anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim views.
These include Finiâs objection to anti-Semitism, the fact that the US and other countries have recognised him and the position of the Italian Jewish community which supported the visit.
However, another reason for the Israeli governmentâs embrace of Fini seems to lie in his anti-Arab, especially anti-Palestinian, stance, as well his support for Israelâs repressive measures against Palestinians and territorial expansion in the West Bank.
Fini, who once called Italyâs wartime dictator Benito Mussolini "the greatest politician of the 20th century", repeatedly voiced his support for Sharonâs repressive policies against Palestinians, including the destruction of Palestinian homes, farms and infrastructure.
Fini has alsoÂbacked the apartheid wall Israel is building in the West Bank, which, according to Amiram Barkat, a correspondent for the Haaretz newspaper, makes him the most prominent supporter of Sharonâs policies in contemporary Europe.
Birds of a feather
Finiâs visit to Israel has also drawn the ire of some of the leaders of the Arab community in Israel.
Arab Knesset member Talab al-Sanie described the visit as a âclassical example of similar birds flocking together.â
âI am not surprised at all. We have to remind ourselves and others that this Israeli government is fascist to the hilt. If you examine its policies, ideology and especially its actions, you will reach this conclusion. So this is a fascist government receiving a fellow fascist leaders. Similar birds flock together.â
Al-Sanie lashed out at Zionism, calling it a âmovement bereft of moral principlesâ.
âThis visit underscores the huge difference between Zionism and the Jewish people. For Zionism, even fascists and Nazis can be good friends as long as they support Israel and stand against its victims,â he said.
Al-SanieÂsaid that Israelâs embrace of Fini and the Italian fascist camp is consistent with the long-standing Israeli policies of supporting fascist and right-wing repressive regimes throughout the world.
âHave we forgotten Israelâs strong relations with the defunct apartheid regime in South Africa, the (Augusto) Pinochet regime in Chile, and other fascist juntas in Latin America?â he asked.
