Israel’s Channel 2 News last
year interviewed two Israeli women of Libyan origin who claimed to be
distant relatives of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
The older of the two interviewees, Guita Brown, said she is Gaddafi’s
second cousin (Brown’s grandmother was the sister of Gaddafi’s
grandmother). The younger of the two women, Rachel Saada, granddaughter
of Brown, explained in more detail:
“The story goes that Gaddafi’s grandmother, herself a Jewess, was
married to a Jewish man at first. But he treated her badly, so she ran
away and married a Muslim sheikh. Their child was the mother of
Gaddafi.”
While Gaddafi’s grandmother converted to Islam when she married the
sheikh, according to Jewish religious law (and common sense), she was
ethnically still Jewish.
At this point the news anchor stated, “So, the point is that Gaddafi doesn’t just have Jewish relatives, he is Jewish!”
Rumors of Gaddafi’s Jewish background are nothing new. But with the
current uprising in Libya that threatens to ultimately overthrow the
dictator, as has happened in the neighboring countries of Tunisia and
Egypt, Gaddafi may be looking for an exit strategy.
If the story told by Brown and Saada is true, Gaddafi is entitled to
immigrate to Israel as a Jew under Israel’s Law of Return. Even if every
other country on earth refused him entry, Israel would be obligated by
its own laws to take Gaddafi in.
At the time of the interview, the anchor quipped, “I am sure there is
some local authority in Israel that would be pleased to have a former
president on its staff.”【転載終了】
