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Alfred Lilienthal, prominent anti-Zionist, dies

Alfred Lilienthal, a longtime Jewish and anti-Zionist critic of Israel, died at 94.

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Alfred Lilienthal, a longtime Jewish and anti-Zionist critic of Israel, died at 94.

Lilienthal died Oct. 6 in Washington.

The writer and television and radio commentator first garnered attention with his book “What Price Israel?” in 1953. He argued in his books and newspaper articles that the creation of Israel had harmed the Jewish people because it gave justification to anti-Semites for dual loyalty charges. He also claimed that if Arab states were given the same amount of foreign aid as Israel, they would become democratic.

Lilienthal later became a critic of Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians, creating a self-published newsletter for that puprose.

The popularity of Lilienthal’s first book in the Arab world led to him becoming the first Jewish person to travel to Saudi Arabia, where he was invited to a private meeting with King Ibn Saud.

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