Campaigner for Jewish rights in post-Gaddafi Libya David Gerbi witnessed his relationship with his Berber (Amazigh) allies shot down in flames when he was snubbed by the Amazigh conference at which he was due to speak. A recording of his speech was not even aired, the Jerusalem Post reports.
Gerbi, who fled Tripoli with his family in 1967 when the Six Day War led to attacks on Jews in his neighborhood, intended to offer (World Organisation of Libyan Jews) WOLJ’s support for the persecuted Amazigh minority (often referred to as Berbers). He also planned to speak up for the rights of exiled Libyan Jews to restore their over 2,000-year-old heritage and participate as equal citizens in building a new democracy.
Gerbi was uninvited after the December 31 attack on Misrata’s Coptic Church in which two people were killed.
His would-be Amazigh hosts and other political representatives informed him his visit was “premature.”
They said the “Supreme Security Committee” was worried about his safety and suggested he not come personally, but send a video of his speech instead (his speech was not aired).
Italian Foreign Ministry sources told the Libyan-Italian- Jewish Gerbi that they had received information that his participation in the Amazigh Congress would unleash further terrorist attacks in an escalating conflict.
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Background articles on David Gerbi
Can't say I'm surprised. Every honeymoon ends. This one ended "prematurely," so to speak, just after it got started, it seems.
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