The British rabbi who lost his wife and two daughters to a West Bank gunman has criticised CNN for drawing “moral equivalency” between the atrocity and Israeli counter-terror operations.
In an emotional television interview aired last week, Rabbi Leo Dee, 52, described the murder of his wife Lucy, 48, and daughters Maia, 20, and Rina, 15.
The presenter, Christina Macfarlane, then said: “Well, as with most conflicts, those impacted most are ones who have the least to do with the fighting. And just as we heard Rabbi Dee’s story, coming up we’ll hear similar stories from Palestinians.”
Rabbi Dee told the JC: “The moral equivalency is outrageous. There is no equivalent on the Israeli side. I don’t know of any Israeli terrorist who has murdered Palestinians in cold blood in almost 30 years.
“Terror journalism is breaking the world apart. If we had honest reporting, we could get peace rapidly. Peace doesn’t sell, terror does.”
Rabbi Dee previously said he holds “no hatred” for the murderers, saying his wife Lucy would have been “proud” that one of her organs saved the life of a Palestinian.
Rabbi Dee also pointed out that “most Palestinians are good people”, with violence promoted by a “small minority”. In an exclusive interview with the JC, he revealed that his family has received messages of condolence from local Palestinians.
Asking people to post pictures of the Israeli flag online to stand against those who justify terror, Rabbi Dee has campaigned religiously for unity and peace.
The British-Israeli rabbi said: “We will never blame the murder on the victims.
"There is no such thing as moral equivalence between terrorist and victim. The terrorist is always bad.”
The British-Israeli rabbi lives in the Efrat settlement, south of Jerusalem, since making aliyah in 2014.
Last Thursday, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly wrote to Rabbi Dee to condemn the "brutal" murders.
In his note he said: "There can be no justification for such senseless and abhorrent violence, and I unequivocally condemn this act of terrorism.
“The UK remains steadfast in our commitment to work with the Israeli authorities, and all parties in the region, to bring an end to the terrorism that Israel faces, and to the cycle of violence which, as we have seen all too clearly, is so destructive.”
His letter came in response to criticism directed at Britain’s foreign office weak phrasing in an initial statement on the attack.
It read: “We are saddened to hear about the deaths of two British-Israeli citizens and the serious injuries sustained by a third individual”, and called for “‘all parties… to de-escalate tensions”.
In response, Israel’s former ambassador to America, Michael Oren, wrote: “Shame on Britain. No mention of Palestinians or terror, no outrage. The sisters merely ‘died’ and a third person was somehow injured.”
