Activists vilify Wiesel as supporter of war crimes

As news of Elie Wiesel’s death reverberated around the world, there was an outpouring of tributes, quotations and homages honoring his life and works. So too, however, did the news bring out a select few, seeking to vilify and defame his legacy.

Most notably, pro-Palestinian Jewish journalist Max Blumenthal, son of longtime Hillary Clinton confidant Sidney Blumenthal, who took to Twitter less than an hour after the announcement and said: “Elie Wiesel is dead. He spent his last years inciting hatred, defending apartheid & palling around with fascists.”

He continued with a series of tweets posting links to articles saying Wiesel “denied Armenian genocide” and “repeatedly lauded Jewish settlers for ethnically cleansing Palestinians in east Jerusalem.”

He then tweeted: “Elie Wiesel went from a victim of war crimes to a supporter of those who commit them. He did more harm than good and should not be honored.”

Blumenthal was joined in his denigration by other pro-Palestinian activists.

Among them was Ali Abuminah, co-founder of the site Electronic Intifada, who also took to Twitter and wrote: “Those who praise Elie Wiesel without mentioning his deep ethnic hatred for Palestinians are as hypocritical and vacuous as he was.”

He followed with another tweet: “Elie Wiesel will be remembered by Palestinians for his racism and his propaganda services to their oppressors, ethnic cleansers and killers.”

Other social media commentators responded forcefully to the tweets.

“Just when you thought the Israel-hating fever swamp couldn’t sink any lower, they all came out as one to defame Elie Wiesel after his death,” tweeted Jewish Agency spokesman Avi Mayer.

Despite the attempts to vilify Wiesel, the negative tweets were dwarfed by the outpourings from world leaders, public figures and countless people touched by Wiesel’s works who offered their praises and expressed their mourning on social media and beyond.