Continues to Disagree With Ongoing Criticism
New York, NY, February 5, 2014 … In response to a letter from Member of Knesset Moti Yogev, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today said that it welcomes Mr. Yogev’s “retraction” of his charge that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s engagement on the peace process bears “an undertone of anti-Semitism.”
ADL had denounced Yogev’s initial accusations as “offensive, inflammatory and totally without any basis.”
In the February 2 letter, Mr. Yogev shared with ADL a copy of his letter to Dan Shapiro, U.S. Ambassador to Israel, in which he stated that he was retracting the charge of anti-Semitism, but maintained his opposition to Mr. Kerry as a “fair mediator” in the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.
“We accept Mr. Yogev’s retraction of his charge that Secretary of State Kerry was motivated by anti-Semitism, while continuing to disagree with ongoing criticism of the Secretary of State,” said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. “Israeli-Palestinian negotiations have led to great political tensions in Israel, which are likely to last for some time, and we continue to urge all involved in this important public debate to express their views civilly and respectfully.”