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ABOUTIf the story told … is true, Gaddafi is entitled to immigrate to Israel as a Jew under Israel’s Law of Return. Even if every other country on earth refused him entry, Israel would be obligated by its own laws to take Gaddafi in.
IOA Editor: The evil deeds of mankind, and the ironic twists of history.
By Israel Today – 21 Feb 2011
www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/22668/Default.aspx
Israel’s Channel 2 News last year interviewed two Israeli women of Libyan origin who claimed to be distant relatives of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
The older of the two interviewees, Guita Brown, said she is Gaddafi’s second cousin (Brown’s grandmother was the sister of Gaddafi’s grandmother). The younger of the two women, Rachel Saada, granddaughter of Brown, explained in more detail:
“The story goes that Gaddafi’s grandmother, herself a Jewess, was married to a Jewish man at first. But he treated her badly, so she ran away and married a Muslim sheikh. Their child was the mother of Gaddafi.”
While Gaddafi’s grandmother converted to Islam when she married the sheikh, according to Jewish religious law (and common sense), she was ethnically still Jewish.
At this point the news anchor stated, “So, the point is that Gaddafi doesn’t just have Jewish relatives, he is Jewish!”
Rumors of Gaddafi’s Jewish background are nothing new. But with the current uprising in Libya that threatens to ultimately overthrow the dictator, as has happened in the neighboring countries of Tunisia and Egypt, Gaddafi may be looking for an exit strategy.
If the story told by Brown and Saada is true, Gaddafi is entitled to immigrate to Israel as a Jew under Israel’s Law of Return. Even if every other country on earth refused him entry, Israel would be obligated by its own laws to take Gaddafi in.
At the time of the interview, the anchor quipped, “I am sure there is some local authority in Israel that would be pleased to have a former president on its staff.”
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{ 6 comments }
This story — not written by the IOA — has received plenty of attention.
Despite some comments, it would be wrong to read it literally: it is extremely unlikely that Gaddafi, once removed from office, would seek refuge in Israel. Yet, if his Jewish background is true (which is uncertain), Gaddafi would, at the very least, be entitled to apply, and be considered, for citizenship.
That his application for citizenship would not be approved may or may not be true, but it surely isn’t as simple or automatic as “One” (immediately above) makes it sound (Google or not).
And, most importantly, because none of this is likely to happen, perhaps it is best to read the story as an allegory, not a realistic news item.
As we said from the very start (see top of page), this story is about the evil deeds of mankind — surely including, but not limited to, Gaddafi’s — and the ironic twists of history, in which one people has the privilege of arriving from distant places and automatically receive citizenship (with a handful of exceptions), and another — very much local and directly connected to the land — is deprived of all: entry, land, property, livelihood, civil and human rights. Sadly, this latter part is entirely reality-based.
“Israel would be obligated by its own laws to take Gaddafi in.”
False. “Jews who have a past that involves a serious crime, such as murder, or who are fugitives in another country for any felony (unless they are persecution victims) can be denied the right of return… The Law of Return also excludes any ‘person who has been a Jew and has voluntarily changed his religion.’”
Heard of Google?
A nice story but…. Although it is fitting that the ‘Jewish’ State should be a rest home for ageing war criminals, in fact, if Gaddaffi’s grandmother converted to Islam then he isn’t Jewish, ethnically or otherwise. Halachic definitions of being Jewish aren’t based on ethnicity but also on not being converted to another religion. Since she converted she lost her Jewish religious identity and ipso facto Gaddafi is not Jewish.
However given his appalling deeds I’m sure Israel will want to make an exception!
tony
Tony,
How can anybody change ethnicity ?
He (Gadaffi) should fit in very nicely, considering he employs mercenaries to gun down his own people.
Move over Netanyahu!
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