‘Never again,’ says Duterte on ‘insane leaders’ like Hitler
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte vowed to fight “insane leaders” like German Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler as he expressed hope that a tragedy like the Holocaust would not happen again.
In his brief remarks during a solemn visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem on Monday, Duterte said the murder of six million Jews in Hitler’s Holocaust was an “insanity” and expressed hope that the world has learned from what he described as a “horrific and berighted period of human history.”
“Me, I realized that war is insanity. And what happened here, in Europe especially under the Nazi. I could not imagine of a country obey an insane leader. And I could not ever fathom the spectacle of a human being going into a killing spree, murdering old men, women, men, children, mother,” Duterte said.
“I would like to say that we are one in saying that it will not happen again and my country will be the first to voice (opposition to) such I said a massacre of a race just because of hate,” he added.
Duterte said despots and insane leaders “should be disposed of at the first instance.”
“I hope that this will not happen again. But we are a world whose — now… We have learned so much along the years during the two wars. There is always a lesson to be learned and that despots and leaders who show insanity should be — well they should be disposed of at the first instance,” he said.
About six million died during the holocaust, the systematic killing of Jews by German Nazis and their collaborators.
Duterte, the first Philippine President to set foot on the Holocaust Memorial, also paid tribute to the Jews who fell victims to Hitler’s cruelty by visiting the Hall of Names inside the Yad Vashem with his daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.
“Well I would like to thank Israel, the government and the people for inviting us here to see for ourselves in visuals what we have read time and again in our history books,” Duterte said.
“We know the brutal and cruel journey of the Israelites. From one scattered generation, (they are) finally finding their place under the sun,” he added.
Duterte also had a similar message he left on the memorial’s guestbook, where he urged nations to provide sanctuary to persecuted people.
“Never again. May the world learn the lessons of this horrific and benighted period of human history,” the President said.
“May the hearts of peoples around the world remain ever open. And may the minds of all men and women learn to work together towards providing a safe haven for all who are being persecuted,” he added.
Duterte’s visit to Israel’s largest Holocaust memorial came two years after he drew condemnation from the Jewish community after he mentioned that he would be “happy to slaughter” some three million drug addicts, similar to what Hitler did to the Jews during World War II.
The President later apologized, saying that it was not his intention to derogate the memory of Jews killed during that period.
Israel views its ties with the Philippines as special as the country provided refuge to around 1,300 Jews who escaped the Holocaust. The Philippines also cast a crucial vote in a United Nations (UN) resolution that led to the creation of the Jewish state.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in his meeting with Duterte on Monday, said Israel remembers the Philippines’ exceptional role of accepting Jewish refugees during the Holocaust.
The Philippines, under then president Manuel L. Quezon, reinforced the Commonwealth government’s open-door policy to accommodate the Jews who escaped from Europe between 1935 and 1941.
In 1947, the Philippines, under the administration of then president Manuel Roxas, cast the tie-breaker vote at the UN to separate Israel from Palestine. The two countries established diplomatic ties 10 years later.
After the trip to the Jewish state, the President will also visit Jordan, where he is expected to sign agreements on labor, defense and foreign affairs.
Duterte’s visit to Israel and Jordan is a first for a sitting Philippine President.
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