Trying to discredit and destroy the Jews and the Jewish state in the Land of Israel is not anti-Semitic. That is the upshot of the words of Syrian officials this week, as reported in a Jordan Times article quoting the official French news agency. "Syria hit back on Wednesday at an Israeli message to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan accusing Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime of 'anti-Semitism', saying that Assad respects all major religions," AFP reported. "Syria 'respects all religions and refuses to fall into the trap of confusing Judaism, a monotheist religion, and Zionism, a political and ideological movement,' said Syria's interim charge d'affaires to the UN, Faisal Makdad, in a statement published in Syrian newspapers. 'Israel must cease accusing Arabs of anti-Semitism, because Arabs, themselves, are Semites,' he said. The Syrian official was attempting to respond to the Israeli delegation's UN statement accusing Bashar Assad of making anti-Semitic statements during the Pope's visit to Damascus last month.
In his May declaration, Assad said:
"[You, the Pope, embody] the summit of responsibility for maintaining those values [love, tolerance and equality among human beings], especially [since] there are those who invariably attempt to subject all people once and again to the journey of ailments and agony. Therefore, our brethren in Palestine are being murdered and tortured, justice is being violated, and as a result territories in Lebanon, the Golan and Palestine have been occupied by those who even killed the principle of equality when they claimed that God created a people distinguished above all other peoples. We notice them aggressing against Moslem and Christian Holy Sites in Palestine... They try to kill all the principles of divine faiths with the same mentality of betraying Jesus and torturing him, and in the same way that they tried to commit treachery against Prophet Mohammad..."
In his May declaration, Assad said:
"[You, the Pope, embody] the summit of responsibility for maintaining those values [love, tolerance and equality among human beings], especially [since] there are those who invariably attempt to subject all people once and again to the journey of ailments and agony. Therefore, our brethren in Palestine are being murdered and tortured, justice is being violated, and as a result territories in Lebanon, the Golan and Palestine have been occupied by those who even killed the principle of equality when they claimed that God created a people distinguished above all other peoples. We notice them aggressing against Moslem and Christian Holy Sites in Palestine... They try to kill all the principles of divine faiths with the same mentality of betraying Jesus and torturing him, and in the same way that they tried to commit treachery against Prophet Mohammad..."