The first-ever visit of a leader of the Philippines is sure to be touted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as another success in his campaign to enhance Israel’s relations across the globe. But critics say this outreach has come at a cost, with Netanyahu cozying up to authoritarian leaders, some of whom are guilty of human rights abuses.
Netanyahu takes great pride that under his leadership Israel has found new friends in Europe, as well as in far-flung countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America that long sided with the Palestinians at the United Nations and other global bodies.
But while many of Netanyahu’s new allies have offered blanket support for Israel, or at least indifference to its conflict with the Palestinians, some have also voiced borderline anti-Semitic sentiments and adopted a revisionist approach to the most painful chapters of Jewish history.
The Philippines’ foul-mouthed president, Rodrigo Duterte, who has cursed out everyone from Barack Obama to God, will receive a warm welcome in the Holy Land.
He arrives in Israel on Sunday for a four-day visit, the first presidential visit since the countries established diplomatic relations in 1957. He is expected to lunch with Netanyahu, meet other top officials and visit the country’s Holocaust memorial. He is also expected to sign a major oil deal and view an arms display.
His forces are accused of killing thousands in anti-drug raids since he took office in 2016. Duterte drew outrage that year when he compared his anti-drug campaign to the Holocaust, and himself to Hitler, saying he would be “happy to…
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