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Protests greet President in Pittsburgh as he meets survivors
With U.S. President Donald Trump getting a cool welcome from the Jewish community in Pittsburgh, Israel’s envoys came to his defence, saying it was “unfair and wrong” to link him to the tragedy. Mr. Trump was greeted by hundreds of chanting protesters on Tuesday, many accusing his fiery rhetoric for contributing to the climate of violence and emboldening extremists to act.
A cold response
Pennsylvania’s Governor and the Mayor of Pittsburgh declined to join Mr. Trump during the visit, and one of the families of the 11 victims asked not to meet him. Adding to the anger was the shooting suspect’s apparent targeting of a synagogue because of his outrage over a Jewish refugee agency that has become a target of conspiracy theories among Mr. Trump’s nationalist base.
“This is unfair and wrong,” said Naftali Bennett, Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister, who rushed to Pittsburgh after the shootings to offer Israel’s support to the city’s Jewish community. “President Trump is a true friend of the State of Israel and to the Jewish people. With President Trump, we never have to worry if he has our backs.” Israel’s envoys to the U.S. and the UN have also tried to distance Mr. Trump from the attack. Mr. Trump visited the Tree of Life synagogue and lit candles for the victims before visiting survivors in the hospital. He was accompanied by his daughter Ivanka and her Jewish husband, Jared Kushner, as well as Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer. Mr. Dermer also backed Mr. Trump, saying he was “not aware of a single non-Israeli leader that has made such a strong statement in condemning anti- Semitism”. Nancy Bernstein, co-chair of J Street Pittsburgh, a liberal American Jewish group, said that many American Jews accuse Mr. Trump of contributing to the polarised atmosphere that led to the shooting and were unhappy about Israeli leaders being so close with the President.
Source : https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-international/wrong-to-blame-trump-for-synagogue-shooting-israel/article25385085.ece
