Thursday, April 21, 2016

Sweden: Green Party founder claims Israel targeted minister because of Sweden's recognition of Palestine


Via Helahälsingland.se (h/t BrncicIvo):

Earlier this week, a Green Party minister, Mehmet Kaplan, quit after allegations that he participated in events of nationalist Turkish organizations.

It had also been reported, just before Kaplan resigned, that he had compared Israel to Nazis.

Even though this had nothing to do with his resignation, Per Gahrton, the party's founder and former spokesperson, claimed Kaplan's resignation was part of a Zionist conspiracy.  Gharton, an anti-Israel activist, also headed the Palestine Solidarity Association in the years 2004-2011.

Gahrton spoke on TV4 Nyhetsmorgon and said that the prime minister was influenced by a campaign, in which Israel was very much involved.  Israeli representatives were quoted on the front pages of Swedish papers saying that Kaplan is an antisemite, and that it wasn't right of the Prime Minister not to support Kaplan against this campaign.

Gahrton also said that Kaplan was targeted after Sweden recognized Palestine.  First Foreign Minister Margot Wallström was accused of being an antisemite, now Kaplan, and there will be more such accusations in the future.

Gahrton said that it's very strange that the fact that the Israeli ambassador was quoted on Svenska Dagbladet's front page, accusing Kaplan of being an antisemite, was overlooked, because it was clearly influential.

This is not the first time that Gahrton makes such accusations.  In the 1980's he said that the accusations of antisemitism against Radio Islam were a way of turning attention away from Israeli atrocities and that the investigation into those claims were an 'ominous sign of appeasement to a resourceful lobby'.

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