A story that ran last month in a Canadian Arabic newspaper alleges that Israelis steal organs from Palestinian bodies; B’nai Brith Canada denounced the story as Blood Libel.
According to B’nai Brith Canada, the Toronto area-based newspaper al-Meshwar ran a story in its Feb. 28 edition with the headline: “The Abuse of the Martyrs and the Manipulation of Their Bodies Are Jewish Commandments and Israeli Directives,” by Dr. Mustafa Yusuf al-Lidawi, identified as a former Hamas representative. B’nai Brith Canada states that al-Lidawi’s story “falsely accuses Israel of burying prisoners alive and stealing their organs, a practice he blames on Israel’s ‘ancient malice, and Talmudic and Torah commandments.’”
Additionally in the story, al-Lidawi praises Palestinian terrorists for achieving “martyrdom.”
B’nai Brith Canada CEO Michael Mostyn said in a statement, “It is unacceptable that Canadian publications, in any language, continue to demonize Jews and glorify terrorism. These relentless and baseless attacks on our community undermine inter-communal relations and increase the risk to our safety.”
Canadian Jewish News (CJN) also reported that, on the same page as al-Lidawai’s story, was a story alleging that Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians is worse than what the Nazis did to Jews, stating: “The horrors of the 20th century Holocaust become a justification for a crime uglier than its predecessor, and the victim was thus transformed into a murderer and perpetrator of the 21st century Holocaust.”
Mostyn told CJN, “It is irrefutably anti-Semitic and harmful to imply that the Jewish state — the only genuine democracy in the Middle East — and its citizenry have become modern-day Nazis.”
B’nai Brith Canada filed a complaint with Toronto police over the stories.
StandWithUs CEO and Co-Founder Roz Rothstein tweeted, “Anti-Semitic article in a Canadian newspaper in Arabic. The article written by former Hamas official Dr. Mustafa Yusuf al-Lidawi, who has a track record of accusing Jews of blood libel and other ugly charges. Lets see how this plays out.”
Antisemitic article in a Canadian newspaper in Arabic. The article written by former Hamas official Dr. Mustafa Yusuf al-Lidawi, who has a track record of accusing Jews of blood libel and other ugly charges. Lets see how this plays out. https://t.co/uehCTsm8kq
— Roz Rothstein (@RozRothstein) March 6, 2020
According to The Jerusalem Post, al-Meshwar’s record of stories includes “praise for a 2014 synagogue massacre at Har Nof in Jerusalem, and accusations that Judaism is a “terrorist religion,” and that Jews masterminded the Holocaust for their own gain.”
More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.