COMPARING GAZA TO HOLOCAUST CAUSES MUSLIM-JEWISH

UNCLAS CANBERRA 000132 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM SOCI AS SUBJECT: COMPARING GAZA TO HOLOCAUST CAUSES MUSLIM-JEWISH RIFT ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: Australia's Jewish community leaders have threatened to sever relations with their Muslim counterparts after the chairman of Australia main Islamic group refused to withdraw his comparison of the Israeli Gaza incursion with the Holocaust. During Israel's push into Gaza in January, the chairman of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils claimed that the "victims of the Holocaust" were perpetrating much worse atrocities against the Palestinians. Asked by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry to withdraw the statement, the chairman refused, and circulated a photographic montage with Holocaust victims on one side and Palestinian children hiding in rubble on the other with his reply. The Federation and the Executive Council, the umbrella organizations for both the Islamic and Jewish faiths in Australia have a long history of cooperation that is now under threat. Radical Muslim cleric Sheik Al-Hilali wasted no time in taking advantage of this disagreement to vehemently attack Israel. END SUMMARY ¶2. (U) Robert Goot, president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ),this week threatened to sever all ties with the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC) if that organization's chairman, Ikebal Patel, did not withdraw his comments and letter of January 27. In that letter Patel said, "victims of the Holocaust (are) now perpetrating much worse atrocities against the Palestinians." He later defended his statement in a letter saying, "we believe our comparison of the atrocities and the brutal use of disproportionate force by Israel is justified," and on January 27, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, released a montage of photographs pairing 42 Holocaust photos with 42 pictures of Gazans. ¶3. (U) On February 2, Patel's letter was answered by Goot. He demanded that Patel publicly repudiate his offensive letter and Holocaust remarks or the ECAJ would sever all relations with the AFIC. Goot wrote, "No matter how you seek to twist and distort the facts, there is simply no parallel in history to the murder of hundreds of thousands of Jews in systematic mass executions (and) the mass transportation of millions of Jews to purpose-built death camps." ¶4. (SBU) Patel, in a conversation with poloff, reiterated his view that the worst thing that could happen would be the end of Jewish-Muslim dialogue and their mutual efforts in Australia. He said he is actively working to lessen the effect of his words and noted that his use of the word "Holocaust" might have been a crucial mistake that he presently regrets. Nonetheless, Patel strongly maintains that Israeli military activities in Gaza involved a modern army with unbelievable firepower using that firepower too often against innocent civilians. ¶5. (SBU) COMMENT: Both organizations are the leading representatives of their respective faiths in Australia and have long worked together on various projects. Patel has even been a key note speaker at the ECAJ's annual conference. The danger is that these moderate voices could fall out over Gaza encouraging extremists, like Sydney radical cleric Sheik al-Halili, to assert themselves and fuel division between two faiths that have been on relatively good terms in recent years. The Israeli-Palestine issue in general and the recent violence in Gaza in particular have caused division not only between some in the religious communities but is also generating discussion within the governing party (septel). CLUNE