An advisor to Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi resigned on Monday after suggesting that Jews of Egyptian descent leave the “brutal, bloody, and racist” state of Israel to return to their homeland.
Essam al-Erian, the deputy head of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, also predicted that Israel would disappear in a decade, according to the Times of Israel.
“Essam al-Erian’s resignation should be an example of the consequences for leaders who express such attitudes,” said Abraham Foxman, national director for the Anti-Defamation League, said in a press release. “We welcome the resignation... We hope that President Morsi and other Egyptian government leaders will now make it clear that the defamation of Israel and Jews has no place in the country’s national dialogue.”
The ADL on Jan. 4, after al-Erian made the controversial comments in an interview, wrote to Egyptian Ambassador Mohamed Tawfik to thank his government for attempting to clarify the remarks about Israel.
Statements that hostility is the “creed” of Jews, and that Israel is guilty of “war crimes against humanity” as a “brutal, bloody and racist” state concerned ADL officials because of the history of anti-semitism in the region, and because of the views expressed by more radical elements of groups in Egypt like the Muslim Brotherhood.
“This broad-brush negative stereotype of Jews by a senior Egyptian official was inappropriate, unacceptable and raises serious questions about the attitudes of some of Egypt’s leaders towards Jews,” Foxman said.
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