“The UN can simply not be taken seriously.” So says Republican councilor Bruce Blakeman of Long Island, in the wake of the UN’s report condemning Israel’s activities during Operation Protective Edge in Gaza.
Blakeman, a former presiding officer of the Nassau County Legislature and ex-head of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, spoke to Arutz Sheva on Tuesday night at a dinner in honor of the Ateret Cohanim association of Jerusalem.
Asked about the latest UN report, he said, “The UN condemnations of Israel generally [stem from] some despots, who come from countries where women may not drive, where people are stoned, and where there are no free elections or freedom of the press. So it’s actually quite laughable, if it wasn’t so tragic… Israel is a democracy, with freedom of the press, religion and expression, and where women have full rights. This is basically an anti-Semitic [phenomenon]; they are quick to condemn anything that Israel does, even though Israel is always on the right side of the issues.”
Blakeman is also a strong supporter of Israeli rights in Judea and Samaria. In a visit last year, he stated, “As one who headed one of the largest aviation networks in the world, I feel that the U.S., after the events of 9-11, must understand Israel’s security needs regarding aviation. Having toured Samaria, it is clear to me that strategically, the State of Israel cannot cede this area.”
Blakeman has strong words against the BDS boycott-Israel campaign, which he feels must be treated like a military battle: “As a councilman in the largest township in America, I am writing to the Secretary of State to ask that Roger Waters not be allowed to enter the U.S.” Blakeman explained that Waters, one of the leaders of the BDS movement, commits in Europe what the U.S. considers to be hate crimes against Jews.
“The BDS is a group of celebrities and academics, pro-Palestinian anti-Semites,” Blakeman affirmed, “who want to destroy Israel. We must not be timid in our approach to BDS, and we must fight it with all our might, just as if it were an army against Israel.”
