Even if that were true, and I doubt it, that's really not saying much given Europe's history.
“Johnson argues convincingly that, prior to the opening up of North America, England was the securest and freest place to live if you were Jewish.”
So to make the case that they are not anti-semitic, the best they can do is go back to “Fagan’s era” - over 200 years ago!
I’m sure Peres was talking about today not 200 years ago! And today british politicians overwhelmingly take into account the sensitivities, not to mention the threats, of their muslim constituency.
Britons above a certain age will also remember that the young state of Israel was hugely popular in British public opinion, especially among the idealistic young, during the first 20-odd years of its existence. It was only later that British public opinion on the subject became rather more mixed.
with friends like this who needs enemies
I started reading this expecting a long evidenced thesis proving the contention.
Instead I find a short explaination that because in Britian- an undisputed Democracy- in recent times there have not been specifically targeted anti Jewish laws, and because the author personally has not heard anti Semitic comments- that is prove the British and British policy has not been anti Jewish.
In the face of historical facts I was thinking that this measly defense is comical. But as I think about it, considering the damage Britain has done to the Jews, I think this attempt at explanation is tragic.
The British may not have passed any anti Jewish laws at home in recent centuries, as far as I know, but it was the British who immediately after the Holocaust took Jewish survivors of even the worst atrocities and imprisoned them behind barbed wire on Cyprus, as despicable an act as possible especially from an “enlightened democracy”, all to appease the Arabs.
The English/Brits (whatever) do have a very strong attachment to the Hebrew Bible, and that's good. Unfortunately, they have always tended to think that they're the Israelites.
1) An increasing "Asian" (read Pakistani, et al.) population that hates Jews is strongly influencing internal politics (been to Leicester recently?).
2) A historical attitude that Jews (and Israel) are "troublesome" and need to "calm down." (which is easy to say when you hold them to different standards than you do yourself vis a vis the IRA).
3) A cultural attitude among the elite (in both Europe and the US) whereby a little anti-Semitism is considered "sophisticated." Sit around with a party of American and European (including British) multi-millionaires and you'd be surprised as to what they think is "normal" conversation.
Sorry, I don't even see how Peres' statement is even controversial (except amongst the British elite, who want to be anti-Semitic without appearing guache)...
True — Judeophobic is more accurate. But it’s false that there’s a philo-Semitic tradition — the British have merely been sniffing the asses of Moslems wherever they encountered them during the Sun-never-sets period.