Israel’s US ambassador to accept award from anti-Muslim hate group

Israel’s Ambassador to the US, Ron Dermer, is set to accept an award from an anti-Muslim hate group in a New York ceremony next month.

According to reports, Dermer will be presented by the Centre for Security Policy (CSP) with the Freedom Flame Award at a dinner on 13 December. The other recipient will be Morton Klein, president of the Zionist Organisation of America.

According to civil rights group the Southern Poverty Law Centre (SPLC), CSP has “gone from a respected hawkish think-tank focused on foreign affairs to a conspiracy-oriented mouthpiece for the growing anti-Muslim movement in the United States.”

“For the past decade, CSP’s main focus has been on demonising Islam and Muslims under the guise of national security,” says the SPLC.

Heidi Beirich, director of the SPLC’s Intelligence Project, said it was “unfortunate” for the ambassador to accept an award from the CSP, which “has a long track record of anti-Muslim bigotry that should be denounced, not sanctioned by the ambassador’s presence.”

A spokesperson for the Israeli embassy in Washington, however, said that Dermer was “not aware” of any “anti-Muslim views” held by CSP, and was in fact “honoured” to receive the award.