Posted on 07/21/2006 10:01:04 AM PDT by sergey1973
Deutsche Welle has an interesting little roundup of European press reaction to Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah, most of which appears to condemn the Israeli actions as “disproportionate.” As a corollary, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero (of Spanish Flee fame) went on record stating that the results of the Israeli response to the agents of radicalization, fanaticism, conflict and instability will be “radicalization, fanaticism, conflict and instability.” The European reaction is instructive for several reasons: First, because it is indicative of the extent to which nationalism and national feeling has declined – there is simply little understanding of why a state would seek so dramatically to protect its own. Second, because it illustrates the European mindset on Islamism – that it is indestructible, and by implication, that its agents cannot be repelled or thwarted. Third, because it lets us know, again, that the Europeans do not see Israel as one of its own – even though, in the cultural and historical sense, it is – and that they blame Israel in a manner reminiscent of those who would blame a provocatively-dressed woman for her rape.
European received wisdom is wrong on all counts.
(Excerpt) Read more at brusselsjournal.com ...
There was a call in Germany for Israel to be a NATO member.
I thought that was fantastic.
Israel/Islam/Middle East/Europe/Global Jihad Article Ping !
Good read!
bttt!
It is hard to believe that at one time in history, most countries in Europe were actually respectable.
Bullseye!
>>>First, because it is indicative of the extent to which nationalism and national feeling has declined – there is simply little understanding of why a state would seek so dramatically to protect its own. >>>
BOLD!!!
Wow, the world needs to take notice of this sentence, including those in the left.
The truth is Europe will become more anti-semitic as their muslim population grows. It's all downhill from here.
High Volume. Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel.
also Keywords 2006israelwar or WOT [War on Terror]
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Really? By whom? Do you have some sources?
This is an opinion piece by a politician from the left published in a left-leaning political magazine. The headline reads "Israel into Nato!"
http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,427649,00.html
Since Ralf Fücks, who is the husband of Marie-Louise Beck, the chairwoman of the "Deutsch-Israelische Gesellschaft" (German-Israel society), does not represent the common political will in Germany, I would be careful with too optimistic estimations. My own observance is quite dissenting from yours. While nobody sane in Germany denies Israels right on existence, most politicians want to keep out of this conflict. The public opinion is not different.
It is interesting that espechially former peacenik politicians around the former foreign minister Fischer like Daniel Cohn-Bendit or Ralf Fücks are that keen on millitary assistance for Israel. Although the conservative side also sees the necessity to ensure Israels existance, nearly nobody would go that far like they do. The delivery of some key weapons (like the Dolphin-class subs or some fundamental parts of Israels Merkava tanks that Israel is unable to produce on its own) seems to be far enough to most of them. Germans are well aware that they have to be helpful to ensure Israels existance due to the dark history. But that will go not that far that German soldiers will be sent into death and decay.
It is a interesting question if NATO should be canged into a alliance of the whole western world or not. After the end of the cold war it lost most of its necessity to exist for the western Europeans. Espechially for those on the continent. The Germans do not need the US nuclear umbrella anymore since France has also its warheads. Since most Germans think that the French have far more reason to help in a major crisis than the US or the Brits, the NATO omnipotence lost most of its basement among German politicians.
If it would be used as a global millitary alliance against all forms of political surpression, communism/socialism and religious oppression and barbarism it could gain new importance again of course. Anyway I doubt that this will happen, since even most conservative Europeans do not want to be roped into conflicts like the Lebanon crisis. They have some good reason: It is simply not their party.
America probably will have to continue with their "coalitions of the willing" policy and Israel has only one absolute and termless ally on this planet: the USA.
P.S. When I was a younger man I worked as a ironworker too. We assembled big steel contructions for industrial buildings back then. To my regret I never worked on skyscrapers like you since steel is not suitable for such buildings in Germany (because of fire-protection) due to the typical German red tape...
My post was not too optimistic at all.
It was two lines, one simply stating a fact and the other simply saying I thought it was fantastic.
I am well aware of the attitute of Germans towards miltary force as well as Israel, but let me make clear to you on behalf of my own home country.. we do not send our soldiers into "death and decay" either.
We sent our soldiers to reshape the Middle east for peace, prosperity, freedom and human rights.
Germans on the other hand have the luxury to sit in their beer gardens and make money from selling weapons while moralizing. Lucky for them the US is the world Super Power or the planet might not be such a pleasant place for Germany.
As for France, I actually don't know any Germans prior to you, who are feeling secure because France has nuclear weapons. I suspect that Germans know it will never be tolerated for them to have their own nuclear weapons so in some strange way they might be subconciously adopting France's as their own. I see that as a delusional misconception that luckily for Germany probably won't be put to the test anytime soon.
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