Israel calling Francesca Albanese a witch!?

Denying the obvious antisemitism of 7 October "The victims of 7/10 were not killed because of their Judaism but in response to Israel's oppression".

Here you go. Only an antisemite would post such an image, in this manner.

She said that the US is subjugated by the Jewish lobby. There's no way to make that not anti-Semitic.

I am genuinely interested- please give specifics that demonstrate her antisemitism versus legitimate concerns about Israel.

Thing is, if you think this is about playing the woman not the ball, the UN don't actually have to pick someone with a history of anti-Semitic tropes for this role, do they?

And that still would not have been appropriate response to refute a UN report.

What in the report did he actually refute?

Agreed.

I don't think it makes much difference that it's the UN really, they're institutionally sexist themselves. He shouldn't be using a misogynistic term like witch for a woman in any context.

Those in leadership roles within Israel should distance themselves from his comments if they disagree with them. I doubt they all agree with the bizarre nature of his speech but silence is also a signal.

I thought it was obviously figurative and a metaphor- I would seriously doubt the ambassador meant Albanese is literally a witch with magic powers.

The point is that is the ambassador chose to use an insults with in built misogyny as a response to an official UN report.

It uses “enduring stereotypes about women’s mental instability and irrationality. It is embedded in the history of labelling women who pose any perceived threat to men’s power as unhinged or evil.”

”theconversation.com/witches-both-mad-and-bad-a-loaded-word-with-an-ugly-history-52804

'Witch' is sexist. Dannon should instead have pointed out that Albanese is an Assad apologist who has previously claimed Jews control American politics. She's vile, hopelessly compromised and we have plenty of gender neutral terms we can use to point that out.

That's a fair assessment. Personally though, I would expect my leader to be a bit more professional than throwing the proverbial diplomatic dummy out of the pram. You're right. I don't recall Trump attacking witches but you never know, there's still time. I was talking about his other ridiculous attacks on people like the disabled reporter he publicly ridiculed.

And I will suggest again that we agree to disagree.

Hmm. I see it as a figurative and angry response from a government to someone with doubtful motives in attacking a nation that has been waging war against an existential threat - wider than Hamas - and that the nation has had enough of the UN bullshit.

I don’t recall Trump ever talking about witches. I suppose he might have done.

You're right. This is getting ridiculous if this goes around again. So I'm going to say it this way. When a British politician goes to another country on a diplomatic mission and makes a speech to whoever, not everyone in the UK might agree with him but on an international platform, they are representing the UK and talking on behalf of the UK. As far as the audience is concerned, everything they say is what the UK is saying.

Okay. Good that you watched the footage. I don't think anyone thought that he was literally calling her a medieval witch but you never know. Maybe he wasn't being metaphorical. Personally I can't see anything more than an unprofessional bat s@@t crazy response to an official report from a Special Rapporteur, who has expressed damning opinions about Israel, justified or not. I think someone is taking page out of the Trump playbook on diplomacy.

Good effort but ultimately unconvincing that the whole of Israel is responsible for Damon’s crass comment.

( This is where you say no one’s saying it’s the whole country and we go round in another circle).

I’ve watched the footage now. It’s exactly as I thought it would be: the Israeli statement was figurative. The references to curses, spells and witchcraft are all metaphors for the words and allegations of, and the motives of, a campaigning UN figure who is on a mission against Israel.

The subject of this thread is even more pathetic than I’d supposed.

Did he say it during an official speech at the United Nations? I'm guessing no. Lots of diplomats and politicians have made offensive comments but not when they are officially representing their country. Trump has a list a mile long. Had Danny Danon made a comment about Albanese being a witch at an unofficial moment, it would have been his comment and his alone. He didn't. He did it at the United Nations in a speech which would have been reviewed, edited, reviewed again and then approved by either the Israeli MFA or on a speech that was going to be as dramatic a verbal attack as this one, the prime ministers office. That's the difference.

Back in 2008 the Italian prime minister made a comment where he referred to Barrack Obama as “tanned” - and mentioned Naomi Campbell was also “tanned”.

This was seen as a diplomatic faux pas at best, many thought the comment racist.

People weren’t saying Italy was racist (or stupid), only the prime minister who made the comment.

I actually don't think calling her a witch is misogynistic. He could hardly have called her a warlock or wizard. Your opinion is fine. Not mine but that's okay.

Umm, look up the definition of an ambassador. It is literally their job to speak for their country whether in the UN or the embassy of any country they happen to be an ambassador in. It is precisely why foreign embassies are internationally classed as foreign soil.

I don’t agree that an ambassador represents their whole country… feel like it’s only because it’s Israel involved that people are making this argument.

Quite happy to agree to disagree though. As a PP said it’s a pathetic thread.