What does it mean that Anders Behring Breivik, confessed Norwegian mass murderer, endorses Israel throughout his rambling 1,518-page manifesto?

“What does this mean for Israel,” writes the Jerusalem Post‘s Larry Derfner, “that this neo-Nazi monster repeatedly expressed his affinity for ‘Israeli nationalism’ together with his loathing for ‘the so-called Jewish liberals,’ whom he called ‘multi-culturalists?'”

Breivik, who officials are saying is not sufficiently mentally competent to stand trial, states:

“Jews that support multiculturalism today are as much of a threat to Israel and Zionism (Israeli nationalism) as they are to us. So let us fight together with Israel, with our Zionist brothers against all anti-Zionists, against all cultural Marxists/multi-culturalists.

“This shows very clearly that we must embrace the remaining loyal Jews as brothers rather than repeating the mistake of the [Nazi party].”

It means that in Israel, anti-Muslim rhetoric will be tempered, says Derfner.

“For a while, the tone in public toward Muslims is going to change,” he writes, “and become less reckless and harsh. There will still be all-out verbal and political (and military) attacks on Muslim terrorists and their organizations, but we’re not going to hear public figures ranting about ‘the Muslim mentality’ or ‘Muslim culture’ and especially not the so-called ‘Muslim culture of death,’ because the echoes from Breivik will be too loud in everyone’s ears.”

And Derfner is quick to note just what Breivik’s recycling and updating of the notorious Unibomber Manifesto does not mean:

It doesn’t mean that the Israeli right-wing majority – Likud, Israel Beiteinu, Shas, United Torah Judaism, National Union and Habayit Hayehudi – share Breivik’s ideology, which is genocidal, anti-Muslim, anti-liberal, national supremacism.

It does not mean the Israeli Right bears any responsibility, even indirectly, for inciting Breivik to kill.

It does not mean that the Israeli Right sympathizes with the atrocity. The overwhelming majority of Israeli right-wingers were repelled by those murders.

So despite Breivik’s expressions of solidarity with the Israeli Right, the two are much, much more different than they are alike.

Without a doubt, says Derfner, Israeli hardliners “did not shed this blood.” But their rhetoric will change as they recoil from hearing their words proclaimed by homicidal maniacs.

CLICK HERE to read Derfner’s article

 

More from Beliefnet and our partners