Farrakhan visits Israel early, declares he is not anti-Semitic

JERUSALEM, Dec. 14 (JTA) — Nation of Islam leader the Rev. Louis Farrakhan has unexpectedly arrived in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Farrakhan, on a world tour that has already taken him to Iraq, Libya and Sudan, crossed into the West Bank from Jordan via the Allenby Crossing. He was met there by Palestinian Authority minister Jamil Tarifi, who accompanied him to the town of Ramallah. After meeting with Palestinian officials, he reiterated to reporters that he is not an anti-Semite. “I think I have been critical of some aspects of Jewish behavior toward black people. I have never been, I am not now, anti-Semitic,” he said. Farrakhan later met with Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat in the Gaza Strip. Before Farrakhan left the United States, his aides told Israeli officials he would arrive in Israel on Jan. 18. Israeli officials confirmed that Farrakhan’s arrival had taken them entirely by surprise. They said he was allowed to cross into Israel because he is an American citizen and there was nothing barring his entry. Farrakhan, who in the past referred to Judaism as a “gutter religion,” had said before leaving the United States that he hoped to meet Israeli leaders to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Israeli officials responded that they would not officially receive Farrakhan until he issued a public apology for his anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist declarations. “As an American citizen, with an American passport, he can come” to Israel, David Bar-Illan, the prime minister’s director of communications, told Israel Radio. “He has asked for official status, and that has not been granted.” Cabinet Secretary Danny Naveh, head of the government forum on anti-Semitism, asked the public security and interior ministers to find a legal basis for expelling Farrakhan from Israel. “Farrakhan is an anti-Semite who hates Israel, and it is unacceptable that he should move freely among us,” Naveh said. Naveh added that Farrakhan’s meetings with the Palestinian leadership were proof of the adage, “Tell me who your friends are and I’ll tell you who you are.” Farrakhan said Sunday he was planning to visit Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem this week as a guest of the Palestinians.