Posted on 07/21/2006 3:32:50 AM PDT by white trash redneck
A Paris-based Jewish organization leader has spoken of his concern that the current conflict between Israel and Hizbollah will have negative consequences for the Jewish communities of Europe.
The Director for International Relations in the office of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre, Dr. Shimon Samuels, said he believed the Arab and Muslim communities of Europe will use the situation to their advantage.
“No-one doubts the forthcoming Middle East blowback upon Arab-Jewish relations across the continent, as Muslim radicalism and anti-Semitic action follow the level of the Arab-Israel conflict,” Samuels wrote in an emailed statement.
Unprepared
The French centre’s international relations head claimed that Finland, who took over the presidency of the European Union on 1 July, was “unprepared” for the conflict which began two weeks later. Samuels said he believed that the “bureaucracy in Brussels” was therefore forced to “fill the vacuum with its traditional bias against Israel”.
In the statement, Samuels said he saw the European press as being “particularly anti-Israel”.
“Media in France which views itself as the “midwife” of French-speaking Lebanon, have expressed self-righteous indignation at Israeli counter-measures,” he said.
Pointing to the possibility of a backlash against Europe’s Jews, he added: “Though anti-Semitism is clearly not a policy of any European government, Jews in Europe feel their vulnerability.
“Many fear that neo-appeasement, in the Middle East and at home, will encourage terrorist attacks, first against Jewish targets and then to a broader "Intifada" across the continent. It is often forgotten that what begins with the Jews is an alarm bell for society.”
Media reactions
According to the German Deutsche Welle news agency, Europe’s newspapers have not been unanimous on where the guilt lies in the Middle East conflict and what Europe’s response should be to the escalation of violence.
Deutsche Welle quoted Austrian newspaper Der Standard as welcoming the G8 statement calling for a ceasefire. "One can only hope that the western world, out of its own interests, will now help kick out Hezbollah,” the paper said.
Deutsche Welle said Serbian newspaper Danan had noted Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s willingness to become involved in the conflict.
"Olmert didn’t pass up the opportunity to achieve deep political consensus and conduct a war that the majority of Israelis support,” the paper said.
Meanwhile, the British Broadcasting Corporation noted that French newspaper Le Monde was dismissive of America’s seemingly unconditional support for Israel “Mr. Bush unquestioningly supports Israeli policy, the Russians’ only strategy is to make life difficult for the Americans, while Europe, the paper adds, can barely make itself heard and the UN is also powerless,” it said.
History suggests they should be worried.
Another ostrich pokes his head above ground.....
Europe doesnt seem to be exactly friendly to Jews before this war started. I doubt it will change much.
As bible believing Christianity goes by the boards, so does public acceptance towards Jews. Few others accept Israel as part of a legitimate world story.
I would hazard a guess that a whole lot of Islamofacsists believe it, else there would be no drive to exterminate Israel.
Well I guess so if you mean as a goat in the story. In the Christian bible, Israel wins in the end. It also becomes Christian, something present day Jews don't exactly cotton to, but the proof of Jesus as the Messiah will not be something debatable by that time.
These countries have always been anti Jewish, but they have millions of terrorists in their midst, whom they fear at best and identify with at worst. There is one safe place for those Jews to move to, however.
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