Declaring that some of his best friends are Israelis, Admiral Gino Birindelli, former commander of NATO forces in southern Europe, announced today that he will run for parliament on the neo-Fascist Italian Social Movement (MSI) ticket. His running mates include avowed Fascists, some of whom are accused of the massacre of partisans during World War II.
Asked by newsmen if he didn’t think his candidacy on such a ticket would encourage organizers of anti-Semitic activities and propaganda, Birindelli replied that he could not be regarded as a Fascist because the “Six-Day War winner Itzhak Rabin considers me one of his best friends.” The Admiral was referring to Gen. Yitzhak Rabin who was Chief of Staff of Israel’s armed forces during the Six-Day War and is presently Israel’s Ambassador to the United States. Birindelli claimed he had the friendship “of other Israeli personalities and of the Jewish people.”
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
