Netanyahu names a far-right minister to the position of New York consul
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Roshan Amiri
- . April 21, 2023
- . Update: April 22, 2023 12:00 pm
The high-profile position of consul general in New York, which deals with outreach to American Jews, has been proposed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a Cabinet minister notorious for making incendiary remarks and for organizing a grassroots campaign against African migrants.
May Golan, who serves as a minister without portfolio in Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration, made a name for herself in politics by vehemently opposing African immigrants to Israel. She refers to the 40,000 or so migrants as “infiltrators” and paints them as security risks because they are mainly located in underprivileged areas of Tel Aviv’s southern half.
She joined Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party after an unsuccessful attempt to run for office in 2013 with the ultranationalist Jewish Power party. She was first elected to the Israeli parliament in 2019.
Golan was just promised a position in the upcoming Ministry for the Status of Women by Netanyahu. Her offer of the general consul position was verified by his office on Wednesday, citing “her excellent explanatory abilities in English.”
Golan expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to be considered for the position in a tweet, adding that she is “completely committed to the unity of the Jewish people.”
If appointed, she promised to collaborate with the heads of all Jewish organizations in an effort to fortify the close relationship between American Jews and Israel.
Assaf Zamir, Israel’s former consul general, resigned last month in opposition to the Netanyahu administration’s divisive plan to restructure the judiciary.
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The greatest Jewish population outside of Israel is found in the United States, with the majority of them residing in the larger New York metropolitan area.
In Israel’s 75-year history, Netanyahu’s administration is the most fervently nationalist and religious. Golan is a member of the ultranationalist faction of Netanyahu’s Likud, and because American Jews in general are liberal, her political stances, especially remarks denigrating the liberal Reform Jewish movement, are likely to irritate them.
Golan’s beliefs are “antithetical” to the majority of the community, according to Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, the largest Jewish movement in the US, who criticized the selection. He stated on Twitter that “she will harm, not help, Israel’s cause.”
Golan has long advocated for the deportation of African migrants and has supported annexing Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank in addition to being a supporter of the judicial reform proposal that has caused the country’s division.
The majority of the Africans, who are from Sudan and the long-separate Eritrea, claim they fled for their safety because they would be in danger if they went back. The great majority of Africans are viewed as job seekers in Israel.
Golan admitted to avoiding eating at establishments that hired African asylum seekers to the Haaretz newspaper in 2014 out of concern for contracting infections.
At a 2013 demonstration in south Tel Aviv, she declared, “If I am a racist for wanting to defend my country and for wanting to protect my fundamental rights and security, then I’m a proud racist.”
