Some of the protesters tried to break into the holy site. In 1993, Lauder co-founded a think tank called the Shalem Center with Yoram Hazony, a former Netanyahu aid. Hebrew University professor Yisrael Bartal describes Hazony as a right-wing extremist. Ronald Lauder's Jerusalem-rally speech came at a time when the Israeli government was waging a campaign of siege and starvation against the entire Palestinian population. While Mr. Lauder supports some legitimate charitable causes in the US, he shows his true colors when abroad by supporting fanatic causes that seek to uproot an entire population from its native land.
Lauder is also opposed to permitting Palestinian refugees to return to their homes.
In contrast, the UN General Assembly has demanded that Israel allow the Palestinian refugees to return since 1948. For information about the content or for permission to redistribute, publish or use for broadcast, contact our syndication department.