Attorney Yoram Sheftel expressed amazement Sunday that some on the Israeli far left continue to admire deceased Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, who died 60 years ago. Stalin murdered an estimated 30-60 million people, he noted, and sent millions more to certain death at work camps in Siberia.

In addition, he said, it is known that Stalin planned to falsely accuse Jews of attempting to assassinate the Soviet leadership, and ultimately to exile Soviet Jews to Siberia.

Those who admire Stalin are continuing his path, he said. “The extreme-left and Peace Now people who today accuse Israel of being an apartheid state are the children and grandchildren of grandparents who admired the red murderer, Stalin. Today, they admire Abu Mazen, and before that they admired Arafat.”