Breitbart’s senior investigative reporter and Jerusalem bureau chief Aaron Klein called out some on the left in Israel for criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for opening diplomatic relations with Chad despite the Muslim-majority African nation’s poor human rights track record.
Klein argued that ties with Chad are in Israel’s national security interests, and panned leftist critics for evidencing a seeming double-standard, since the left in Israel strongly advocates for a Palestinian Authority-led state despite the PA’s long track record of similar human rights abuses.
Klein made the comments during a segment on i24NEWS’s Spin Room program, hosted by Ami Kaufman (video above).
Kaufman reported that some critics of Netanyahu noted Chad’s dismal record on human rights, reading a list that included:
- Violence against women and children.
- Arbitrary killings, arrests and detentions by security forces, including the use of torture.
- Restrictions on freedom of speech, press and movement.
- Limited ability of citizens to choose their government.
Klein responded: “When you read that list, it kind of also sounds like the Palestinian Authority to me, and yet the left is pushing peace with the Palestinian Authority. I mean, I didn’t know that in order for a country to have diplomatic relations that is in its best interest with another country that it therefore needed to agree with every element of that other country.”
Klein pointed out that, like Israel, Chad is fighting Islamic terrorism, especially the Islamic State and Boko Haram. He also noted that Chad borders Libya and Sudan, two countries that have been part of the supply chain for weapons smuggling to Palestinian terrorist groups.
“So we, Israel, also the United States, both have strategic interests sometimes in doing business with other countries that, yes, have human rights atrocities on their record,” Klein allowed.
On Tuesday, Netanyahu’s office announced that the prime minister will soon fly to N’Djamena to usher in the resumption of full diplomatic ties with Chad. This while Chadian President Idriss Déby is currently in Israel on an unprecedented visit following decades of his country having no formal ties with the Jewish state.