Efraim Zuroff says he likes it when fascists, antisemites, and racists change their ideology, but that this was not the case with Djapic.

Anto Djapic's promotional movie Roots for the Future, produced by an Israeli production company and directed by Jakov Sedlar, has made the head of the Croatian Party of Rights (HSP) tell Radio Osijek that what bothered his critics was that he had found the way to Israel and the U.S.A. for himself and his party.

These claims, as well as the fact that an Israeli production company decided to make a movie about Djapic, have already caused Israel ambassador Shmuel Meirom to react. He mildly stated that it would take him a lot more time to be convinced that Djapic had changed.

Efraim Zuroff, head of the Jerusalem office of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre, was a lot harsher in his comments.

"To the best of my knowledge, the state of Israel has no contact and will have no contact with Djapic or his party," says Zuroff, adding that he knows what the reasons are for this attitude.

"There is nothing we like better than when fascists, antisemites, and racists change their ideology. But a change like that is not, cannot be a cosmetic change, a change for public relations purposes, or for winning elections. It is a change that has to be a true change and if Mr. Djapic likes to sing with Thompson and he sings a song about Jasenovac, then obviously, this is no change at all. So anyone who wants to sing with Thompson about Jasenovac, with nostalgia for Jasenovac, has no place in the state of Israel as a guest or in any other capacity and we will do whatever is necessary and possible to make sure that the state of Israel fully understands who Anto Djapic is and what HSP is."

We asked Anto Djapic to respond to Zuroff's harsh words, but the Osijek mayor only briefly replied that he had no comment on what Mr. Zuroff said.

javno.com