Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to leave office at a Simon Wiesenthal Center National Tribute Dinner honoring the American businessman last Wednesday, drawing jeers and cheers from attendees.“Netanyahu doesn’t want a peaceful solution, and it’s become clear that getting to a political solution and Netanyahu remaining in power are irreconcilable paths,” Emanuel said in a video published by Deadline Hollywood. “Israel will never truly be secure with Bibi Netanyahu in charge.”
@deadlineEndeavor CEO Ari Emanuel’s fiery speech at the Wiesenthal Center’s Gala, calling for the removal of Israel’s Bibi Netanyahu, was met with cheers, boos and walkouts
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Emanuel explained that Jews were a charitable people, commanded by their religion to welcome foreigners and donate to orphans and widows. He also cited American Jewish involvement in the country’s civil rights movement. In contrast, Emanuel said, according to Deadline, that “Netanyahu is fundamentally selfish. The cost of giving this man what he wants has become far too great for far too many people.”
Netanyahu and extremists in his cabinet should leave, said Emanuel, adding that there was no contradiction in supporting the IDF's operations to destroy Hamas and free hostages taken on October 7 while mourning the loss of Palestinian civilians and condemning Jewish extremists in the West Bank.
Emanuel stated that Israelis should democratically choose Israel’s leaders, but Jews outside the nation have a duty to voice their opinions.“Reputations can be ruined a lot more quickly and easily than they can be repaired, and Netanyahu has tarnished a legacy that does not belong to him,” Emanuel said in the Deadline video.Gala guests could be seen walking out of Emanuel’s speech in the video.
Shame on the center
The Wiesenthal Center did not respond to The Jerusalem Post's requests for comment, but Jewish philanthropist Bobby Rechnitz called on them to distance themselves from the comments, saying that now was a time for unity.“The SWC has long associated itself with Hollywood bigwigs, none of whom condemned the massacre on October 7th nor the rise in antisemitism since.” said Rechnitz. “If these relationships cannot be used for good, at least they shouldn’t give a platform for an attack on the democratically elected leadership of the one Jewish state.”Rechnitz said that the speech was unacceptable for an event that was supposed to address rising antisemitism, turning it "into an opportunity to make a divisive and political diatribe."
“I’m extremely disappointed that the Simon Wiesenthal Center would allow this to happen,” said Rechnitz. “It is total disrespect to their founding principles of tolerance and combating antisemitism when they have somebody give a speech like this about the democratically elected leader of the Jewish state, a nation that was born out of the Holocaust.