News Releases 2019
"As your official partner, we propose that the European Coalition of Cities Against Racism (ECCAR) compile and maintain a watch list of notorious racist bigots who hold municipal standing or platforms."
Paris, 25 July 2019
In a letter to Benedetto Zacchiroli, President of the 158-member municipalities of the European Coalition of Cities Against Racism (ECCAR) the Simon Wiesenthal Centre Director for International Relations,Dr. Shimon Samuels, drew attention to the behaviour of Djamel Boumaaz, elected to the town council of Montpellier (Herault), reportedly on the National Rally (formerly far right National Front) ticket.
Op-ed by Dr. Shimon Samuels published in The Jerusalem Post
16 July 2019
https://www.jpost.com/Opinion/The-86th-victim-595882
International conference on counter-terrorism to open in Buenos Aires
On the 25th anniversary of the AMIA Jewish Center bombing in Buenos Aires, Argentine President Mauricio Macri is slated to open an international conference on counter-terrorism.
This will be a commemoration of the 85 people murdered and more than 300 who were wounded that July 18, 1994.
However, over the proceedings looms the specter of the 86th victim, a personal friend, prosecutor Alberto Nisman, gunned down in the early morning of January 18, 2015.
That morning, Nisman was due to present findings of a lengthy investigation into the atrocity to the Argentine Congress.
"Hamas leader, Fathi Hammad, calls on Palestinians living abroad to go out and slaughter and kill Jews."
"On the 25th anniversary of the Iranian controlled Hizbollah AMIA Buenos Aires Jewish Centre bombing, leaving 85 dead and over 300 wounded, both Hamas and Hizbollah must be banned worldwide for 'warrant for genocide'. Otherwise, Islamists across Europe and the Americas will respond to the call for their Jihadist 'martyrdom'," concluded Samuels.
Paris, 14 July 2019
Simon Wiesenthal Centre Director for International Relations, Dr.Shimon Samuels, claimed that Hamas leader, Fathi Hammad, Friday 12 July public speech calling for "all Palestinians living abroad to go out and slaughter and kill Jews", was a 'Fatwa for Genocide'.
"Article 15 of the Hamas Charter, since its inception, has made a similar threat," noted the Centre.
Read more: Wiesenthal Centre Alert: "Hamas Charter 'Fatwa'...
Op-ed by Dr. Shimon Samuels published in The Jerusalem Post
11 July 2019
https://www.jpost.com/Opinion/UNESCO-World-Heritage-Committee-Azerbaijan-restrains-Palestinian-mayhem-595394
A general view of the UNESCO headquarters in Paris (photo Reuters).
As the 11-day World Heritage Committee (WHC) in Baku winds down, it behooves us to review Jewish-related issues in the context of a UNESCO without the United States and Israel as members.
Of course, the perennial resolutions of Jordan and the Palestinians in Item 7 on “The Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls” and “Hebron/Al-Khalil with the Cave of the Patriarchs” have become banners in the battlefield of heritage.
Their cause had, however, become tempered among the Arab group and the larger number of Muslim member states:
“Jordanian fears of a Saudi takeover of the Custodianship for Jerusalem Holy sites, together with Palestinian suspicion of U.S. support for Riyadh, seemed to have split the UNESCO Arab group, thus permitting the so-called 'depoliticization' of the scheduled Jerusalem and Hebron resolutions – as insisted by the firm Azerbaijan Minister of Culture and Chairman of the Committee.”
“Even if non-binding and adopted without debate or vote, the very passage of these resolutions scapegoats the Jewish heritage and are an insult to the Jewish people” ... “The resolutions will reappear at the Paris meetings of the UNESCO Executive Board in October and the General Assembly in November.”
Baku, Azerbaijan, 5 July 2019
Dr. Shimon Samuels with Dr. Abulfas Garayev, Azerbaijan Minister of Culture
and Chair of Baku World Heritage Committee.
Wiesenthal Centre Director for International Relations and Chief Observer to UNESCO, Dr. Shimon Samuels, directed the following statement to the UNESCO Secretariat:
“My last intervention at the World Heritage Committee was two years ago in Crakow, when I found myself in the company of a former Mayor of Hebron. He had reportedly murdered six Talmudic students in the Cave of the Patriarchs.