Belgian Official Resigns After Anti-Israel Slur

The Belgian official who called Israel a modern Nazi Germany and “an identical twin” of the Islamic State has resigned from the government, The Jerusalem Post reported on Tuesday.

Youssef Kobo, the adviser on diversity for the minister in charge of equal opportunity in the regional government of Brussels, said he “regrets” what he said, but offered to step down after finding he could no longer fulfill his duties, a ministry spokesperson told the HLN news website Monday.

Bart de Wever, the mayor of Antwerp, the capital of Belgium’s Flemish Region, in July told the Joods Actueel Jewish monthly that Kobo’s appointment was “troubling,” citing the latter’s apparent support in an online posting for shooting police in the U.S.

Joel Rubinfeld, the president of the Belgian League Against Anti-Semitism, said Kobo’s statements disqualify him from holding an advisory position on tolerance, and especially on anti-Semitism.

“He can’t be both fireman and fire starter,” Rubinfeld told La Capitale.