Geneva, Switzerland – Israel denounced comments on Monday by former Cuban president Fidel Castro, who compared the Israeli treatment of Palestinians to the Nazi extermination of Jews, an example of heated rhetoric at a U.N. body’s debate.
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Castro’s remarks were issued by Cuba’s diplomatic mission in Geneva amid debate in the 47-nation United Nations Human Rights Council on Israeli action in the occupied territories.
“The hatred felt by the state of Israel against the Palestinians is such that they would not hesitate to send the one and a half million men, women and children of that country to the crematoria where millions of Jews of all ages were exterminated by the Nazis,” the ex-Cuban leader said.
“It would seem that the Fuehrer’s (Nazi leader Adolf Hitler’s) swastika is today Israel’s banner,” the 83-year-old Castro declared in the latest of a series of articles dubbed “reflections””in the communist-ruled island’s media.
His remarks were not cited in the Council itself, but diplomats said Cuba had sent the comment to other foreign missions in Geneva as well as to journalists.
“With these outrageous comments, Fidel Castro shames his old-time companions and the ideals he always pretended to serve. Che Guevara must be spinning in his grave,” Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said in Jerusalem.
Israel has long lamented its treatment by the Human Rights Council, which it believes is biased against it. Cuba is a member of the council’s bloc of developing countries, which shields its members and friends outside the body like Iran and Sri Lanka from criticism, but regularly condemns Israel.
Fidel Castro stepped down in 2008, following a long illness after nearly 50 years as his country’s number one leader and handed over power to his younger brother Raul, now 79. Since then his “reflections””have kept him in the public spotlight.
On June 2 the Geneva-based Council condemned as outrageous Israel’s interception of a ship flotilla taking aid to blockaded Gaza and the death of nine activists on board one vessel, voting to set up an independent fact-finding mission into the affair.
Israel has set up its own probe with foreign experts and rejected a separate U.N. investigation.
i thought the holocause never happened?
A) It would seem Fidel is actually dead.
B) Isn’t it funny how the biggest Human Rights abusers are always the ones speaking up.
C) This should make the anti-Castro people pro Israel, and the pro-Castro people we don’t care about anyway!
I look forward to Castro’s death and the liberation of his island from Communism.
ימח שמו וזכרו
he could not did quick enough for us…. have a good trip fidel…
Obama,
Time to bow to the man, or give him a hug, like chavez.
Time for jews to take action and vote out the dems. The antisemitism that took course since obama took office is scary and unprecedented since world war 2. Time for jews to change alliegance to republicans!
As they say in yiddish, oyf di ganef brent di hitel.
Yemach Sh’mo Castro!
Senor Fidel,
Excuse me. You are quoted as saying, Israel “would not hesitate to send the one and a half million men, women and children of that country to the crematoria.” However, since there have been no crematoria in Israel across the last 62 years, the Israelis must be “hesitating.” Go join the Flat Earth Society.
Some national leaders create pearls of wisdom with their words. Some, like you, create a “Monteguano!”
The Palestinians have another distinction the only Arab war criminal was a Palestinian the Mufti of Jerusalem Haj Amin el Heusseini decorated by Hitler and an intimate of Eichmann Ymach shmoi
I really thought that Castro is DEAD already
He’s still around that old dog, I thought he met his maker along time ago. Well, never too late.
Isn’t it interesting how the nations of the world are always so anxious to pin the label “Nazi” on Israel every chance they get?
Who cares wat this nit wit says. he should be considered dead and not worthy of being quoted in the news. Er is a groise shoita.
Castro , the convertible couch .
The CIA should have got ridden of him decades ago.
After the Castro’s are gone his country will be once again a suburb of Miami.
Fidel Castro arrested his political opponents and lined them against prison walls and shot them down group after group EXACTLY like SS murderers YMSVZ. Castro murdered THOUSANDS of political opponents. Castro is a cold blooded NAZI. He welcomed PLO terrorists to his army training bases. Castro’s hands are SOAKED in blood of innocent men, women and children. MURDERER. He will BURN in Gehenom for eternity.
Funny that these remarks are coming from the founder and warden of the biggest island prison in the world, i.e., Cuba. The average Gazan has far more food than the average Cuban.
When will Cuban citizens be able to travel freely outside of Cuba? Maybe the UN ought to be investigating that!
Why don’t all those do gooders organise some flotillas of aid to Cuba?
One must question the preachings of a man who intellectually favors a dehumanizing term like “the masses” and rejects a respectful term like “we the people.”
The flotilla organizers recognize that the rejectivist position cuts through world opinion like a political scimitar. But we recognize it as chevlei moshiach.