Einstein won’t tour China

The week's news at a glance.

Tel Aviv

Israel has canceled the opening in Beijing of an exhibition on Albert Einstein’s life, after China demanded the removal of any mention that the renowned physicist was Jewish. The demand was “an insult to our state and to the Jewish people as a whole,’’ said an Israeli government spokesman. The exhibition was planned in 2000, when Israeli-Chinese relations were warming up, thanks to sales of Israeli military hardware. Since then, however, the budding friendship has faltered. Israel bowed to U.S. pressure and canceled the sale of a high-tech radar system to China. And China, a strong backer of the Palestinian cause, has been increasingly critical of Israeli actions in the occupied territories. One Israeli official pointed out that Karl Marx was also Jewish, but the Chinese were unswayed.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us