0 Major fundraiser for Obama's election campaign sparks ADL backlash

The U.S. Ambassador to Belgium sparked a firestorm controversy with remarks he made at a conference hosted by the EuropeanJewish Union, stating that Israel is to blame for growing anti-Semitism harbored by people of Muslim faith.

U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Howard Gutman

"A distinction should be made between traditional anti-Semitism, which should be condemned, and Muslim hatred for Jews, which stems from the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians," said Howard Gutman, according to news reports.

The ambassador also claimed at the Nov. 30 conference that an Israeli-Palestinian peace treaty will "significantly diminish Muslim anti-Semitism."

Gutman, a Washington, D.C. attorney and major fundraiser for President Obama's election campaign, was nominated in 2009 by Obama to be ambassador to Belgium.

While the White House is distancing itself from the ambassador's remarks, Jewish leaders and organizations expressed outrage.

"[The Anti-Defamation League] was deeply disturbed by the U.S. Ambassador to Belgium's assessment of Muslim anti-Semitism in Europe, specifically Ambassador Gutman's suggestion that the root cause of this anti-Semitism was the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," Andrew Rosenkranz, ADL Florida regional director said in a statement.


Full Article :http://www.sun-sentinel.com/florida-jewish-journal/news/palm-beach-county-news/fl-jjpn-gutman-1214-20111213,0,5166026.story