Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has nominated a far-right politician, who once boasted that she is “proud to be a racist”, as his country’s top diplomat in New York, The Guardian newspaper reported on Thursday.
According to The Guardian, Netanyahu’s decision to appoint May Golan was swiftly denounced by Israeli and American former diplomats, while a group of former Israeli ambassadors said they were “shocked” by the move.
“Golan’s appointment is outrageous as she is a racist and divisive figure, which is the exact opposite from what Israel needs in such a critical place,” they said.
Golan, who is a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party, made headlines when she denounced African refugees in Israel, calling them “Muslim infiltrators”, criminals and rapists.
The Guardian reported that Golan suggested that many refugees have AIDS and they spread HIV by working as waiters while demanding their expulsion from the country.
“If I am racist for wanting to defend my country and for wanting to protect my basic rights and security, then I’m a proud racist,” she reportedly said at a political rally in 2013 as a member of the far-right Jewish Power party.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
