Trump’s ugly heart humiliates nation, Israeli PM also says too little too late

Published: 17 August 2017

Last updated: 4 March 2024

Through his slow and ambivalent response, Trump has given comfort to the neo-Nazis who stained America. Benyamin Netanyahu has also been criticised over his delayed response

Israel’s response to Charlottesville hasn’t been as clear as expected (Washington Post)
As neo-Nazis and white supremacists marched through Charlottesville chanting “Jews will not replace us,” one may have expected Israel’s response to be swift and unequivocal. But as President Trump was being criticised, Benjamin Netanyahu drew flak for giving no response at all (Aug 16)

Why America’s antisemites can hate Jews but still claim to admire Israel (Guardian)
GILES FRASER If Israel’s PM has trouble denouncing US neo-Nazism, it’s possibly because the far right of both countries support the concept of a secure homeland based on race

Israeli politicians slam Trump’s response to neo-Nazis (Jerusalem Post)
Justice minister Ayelet Shaked, and Knesset leaders Yair Lapid and Zippi Livni lead calls for the US government to respond firmly to neo-Nazi movements after Trump’s press conference in which he backtracked on criticism of the racist demonstration in Charlottesville (Aug 16)

Why the Charlottesville marchers were obsessed with Jews (The Atlantic)
EMMA GREEN The rally was about asserting the legitimacy of “white culture” and white supremacy, and defending the legacy of the Confederacy. So why did the demonstrators chant anti-Semitic lines like “Jews will not replace us”? (Aug 15)

On a day that will live on in infamy, Trump reveals his true dark heart (Haaretz)
CHEMI SHALEV Those who stand behind him now, from Pence to Kelly to Netanyahu, will be stained by the ugliness that spewed out of his mouth (Aug 16)

Trump’s blindness to moral truth: This cannot stand (Forward)
JJ GOLDBERG America was shamed on Tuesday as we have never been shamed before. We were debased as a nation by the words of a president who stood before the world and defended the honour of Nazis. We who elected him stand disgraced, humiliated (Aug 15)

Photo: Trump answers questions at his press conference in New York on Tuesday (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)