Israeli Heckler Calls Rahm Emanuel "Anti-Semite"

By: Robert Berger
Topics: Foreign Policy ,; White House

JERUSALEM -- White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel got a hot welcome to Jerusalem's Old City Thursday.

Arriving to celebrate his son's Bar Mitzvah, President Obama's right-hand-man was heckled by far right-wing Israeli activist Itamar Ben-Gvir.

"You are an anti-Semite, a hypocrite who hates Israel!" Ben-Gvir shouted. "You want Israel to return to the 1967 borders. Shame on you!"

Many Israelis feel betrayed by Emanuel, whose father is Israeli. They blame him for what they see as President Obama's anti-Israel policy.

Ties between Israel and the U.S. have plummeted since Mr. Obama took office last year. The President demanded a freeze on Jewish construction in the West Bank and disputed East Jerusalem, charging that the settlements were an obstacle to peace with the Palestinians.

Israel initially refused, but under pressure from Washington it has since imposed a partial freeze on construction.

Two months ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was snubbed during a visit to the White House. The meeting was tense and there was no customary photo-op with the U.S. leader. This has created the popular perception here that Mr. Obama, and Emanuel, are selling Israel out to appease the Arab world.

Even though Emanuel is on a private visit, he took some time for official business. He met with Netanyahu (seen above) and issued a surprise invitation for a meeting at the White House next Tuesday.

Now that peace talks have resumed after a 17-month deadlock, Israeli officials say the Obama administration is apparently interested in mending fences.

Netanyahu to Meet with Obama at White House Next Week
Activists Vow to Protest Rahm Emanuel's Son's Bar Mitzvah in Israel

Robert Berger is a CBS Radio News correspondent in Jerusalem.

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by Larry11215 May 30, 2010 5:15 PM EDT: Zionism does NOT represent all Jews and certainly is NOT part of nor representative of the Jewish religion. I am a Jew. I am not a Zionist. If I were a Zionist, I would live in Israel, not in New York.; Reply to this comment

by The_Capitalist May 30, 2010 12:56 PM EDT

The term "teabagger" is not like the N word... there is no history of discrimination that is comparable. However, it IS a slur used to describe a particular demographic. It is ironic that liberals, who claim to be so open-minded and sensitive to different races and cultures, act in a manner that is anything but. Excuse me, but which party or political affiliation... Democrat/Liberal vs. Republican/Conservative... focuses on skin color as a factor that should determine outcomes? Which party looks at skin color or background, and claims that that person should receive a job or position BECAUSE of that background (Sonia Sotomayor, Barack Obama recent examples). Which party believes that skin color should determine whether you get into a good college or not? Which party believes that skin color should be a factor in whether you get a home mortgage or not? Last I checked, all that Republicans ever tried to do was ignore skin color. There was a famous Republican once who said that people should be judged based on the content of their character. It is also interesting to note that there was no Republican party until it was formed with the intent to abolish slavery. It is interesting to note that the Civil Rights Act was filibustered by Democrats (including Robert Byrd, KKK member who is a Democrat in Congress right now) and that more Republicans voted for it then Democrats. It is Democrats that cut and slice and divide up the American population into demographics and sub-groups, and racial minorities, and to treat the different groups differently. Can anyone here deny that Democrats want to treat black people differently from white people? The Republicans want to treat everyone the same. I've never heard any Conservative advocate for any kind of disadvantage aimed at a particular group. Democrats want to punish the rich, punish white people, etc. When have Republicans ever advocated punishing ANY specific group? So the rich are taxed 60%, the poor nothing... is that equality? They each earn a dollar tomorrow, rich guys keeps $0.40, poor guy keeps $1... is that fairness? Have we forgotten that that same poor guy can become rich in America? And have we forgotten that his route to do so is often when that rich guy is able to keep enough of his own money to hire him? You would think that Democrats seem to believe that we are still in middle ages feudal Europe, where the nobles and serfs never cross over to another class status. This is America, where more self-made millionaires come from the lower class as compared to the middle class. Enough of this crap from Libs with the accusations of racism. THEY are the racists, which is EXACTLY why they MUST accuse others of racism FIRST.

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by orbust May 30, 2010 1:28 PM EDT: So when did "tea bagging" become such a perverted and sordid thing? In the old days it just meant dragging your balls across someones face.


by jz1492 May 30, 2010 5:31 PM EDT: @The_Capitalist: +1. Sadly, the truth is suppressed in the media, in the classroom, in the labor unions and in the political arena. Only lies can lead a country to tyranny. But lies don't stand to scrutiny --that is why Emperors, Kings, Czars and Communists, who exert total control from the top, dictating values, rights, duties and lifestyles, desperately need, and do, infiltrate the media, the classroom, the labor unions and the political arena. But today we have the Internet, which must remain free of government regulation. Just like Ronald Reagan once said about the USA in a speech, "... If we lose freedom here, there is no place to escape to. This is the last stand on Earth..."

by oldgoat22 May 30, 2010 12:30 PM EDT

It must be terrible to be hated by both Americans and your homeland Jews in Isreal.Is there no end to what American Jews will do for a little power and or money.

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by orbust May 30, 2010 1:29 PM EDT: From my experience, if the ultra conservative Israeli's don't like you..... you must be doing something right.

by oldgoat22 May 30, 2010 12:28 PM EDT

It must be terrible to be hated by both Americans and your homeland Jews in Isreal.Is there no end to what American Jews will do for a little power and or money.

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by orbust May 30, 2010 1:31 PM EDT: So one far right Israeli mocks him and now all jews in Israel hate him? Cmon, you can do better than this. How about keeping it real and telling us how much you look up to Adolf Hitler.


by odie401 May 30, 2010 12:21 PM EDT: Typical in your face Chicago politics. The little man's a disgrace.; Reply to this comment


by 4nopary May 30, 2010 11:12 AM EDT: Either Rahm Emanuel is a hugely narcissistic, or he is insane. His reputation as a Jew Hating Jew is well known in America, and has obviously followed him to Israel. How insulting is it to have the President of the United States, who already insulted Netanyahu, send an anti-semite to Israel on a supposed peace mission? The only positive thing I can say in Emanuel's defense is that he has guts....if I were him, I would have been afraid to step off the plane, no matter how many bodyguards I had.; Reply to this comment

by r12b12 May 30, 2010 10:34 AM EDT

Actions speak louder than Words.........Rahm is what he is and he is Anti-Semite. They know they have lost the Jewish Vote. Look how he treated Bebe. Now they realize the Mistake. Trouble is it takes a Moron to make these kinda of Mistakes. I would not trust Rahm or Obama as far as I can Throw them. I'm a Jew.

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by orbust May 30, 2010 1:34 PM EDT: Oh, no they lost the jewish vote, now how will they ever become President and Chief of Staff. How can they do this without the jews? They must be in a pure panic right about now.

by spiker5 May 30, 2010 2:28 AM EDT

I'm not an anti-semite, but I do think that Jews must not be very intelligent because they always politically align themselves with liberals who REALLY ARE anti-semites.

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by orbust May 30, 2010 1:57 PM EDT: "liberals who really are anti-semites"

If you say really really really are, I will believe you, but so far you have only said "really are". Also, if you put whip cream with a cherry on top of that, and oh oh oh, and sprinkles.... then I will believe you. But short of that your mindless dribblings are just that, mindless dribblings.


by uraDbag May 30, 2010 1:29 AM EDT: on a "private visit"...would that be a "vacation" just like our president too? These guys are a joke. Not like there's anything going on that should command their full attention right now. Glad Jews are waking up...time to stop voting democrat just because. Face it, the previous administration showed much stronger support of Israel than these clowns are.; Reply to this comment

by uraDbag May 30, 2010 1:15 AM EDT

you 'tards calling people teabaggers probably don't even know why the tea party calls itself the 'tea party'. typical enlightened libs...

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by orbust May 30, 2010 1:35 PM EDT: when did tea bagging become such a perverted and sordid thing? In the old days it just meant dragging your balls across someones face.