Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has finally arrived in Israel on Sunday, and despite the warm welcome shown by the Israeli government, headed by Benjamin Netanyahu, the country's media sphere is apparently appalled by the Filipino leader's presence with some calling him an admirer of Adolf Hitler while branding him as an unwanted guest.
According to Philstar, Duterte's visit to Israel was the first to be made by a Filipino president. Despite its historical significance to the Philippines, the receiving party, however, showed no regards to it based on the recent round of criticisms fired by some members of Israeli media.
Cited by the Philippine news outfit, the Hebrew-English publication Haaretz pointed out in its lead editorial titled "A Hitler Admirer at Yad Vashem," Duterte's alleged human rights violations committed in the guise of his administration's all-out war on drugs and organized crime.
In the said paper, the Philippine president is deemed as an unwanted guest in the country and his visit a "shameful diplomatic stain."
The title of the editorial is in reference to the Philippine leader's controversial remarks made in October 2016. During that occasion, Duterte compared himself to Hitler who committed what is touted as one of the most horrifying genocide acts which claimed at least six million Jews during World War II, a report from GMA Network said.
Duterte said that time that if Hitler has the gall to massacre that much Jews during his time, then he himself is "happy to slaughter" three million drug addicts reportedly proliferating in the Philippines.
The 73-year-old politician has since apologized for his unwarranted remarks in front of the Jewish community in the Philippines.
The Hareetz editorial went on to lambast its own government, pointing out its willingness to "overlook" a leader's human rights violations just as long as it could sell arms and defense contracts, as indicated in the Manila Standard. The news piece reiterates that Israel should disclose all its dealings with other countries.
Duterte's Israel Visit
Duterte's visit to the Palestine region is in line with the Philippine government's efforts to strengthen bilateral ties with Israel. According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, via a separate report from PhilStar, the president's landmark visit to the Holy Land won't necessarily come in conflict with its ties with several Arab states and countries such as Saudi Arabia. The latter is among those who do not honor Israel's statehood.
The Philippines is the only country in Asia that voted the United Nations resolution which created the nation of Israel in 1947.
