France Says It Must Not Be Arab-Jewish Battleground

Reuters ^

[RCW2001]

France Says It Must Not Be Arab-Jewish Battleground
Last Updated: April 02, 2002 12:10 PM ET
By Rebecca Harrison PARIS (Reuters) - France must not become a battleground where Jews and Muslims re-enact the bloody Middle East violence, national leaders said Tuesday after a series of attacks on Jewish targets in the country. Unknown arsonists tried to burn down a building at a Jewish cemetery in Strasbourg Monday night, following attacks on synagogues and a Jewish butcher's shop over Easter weekend. Right-wing pro-Israeli activists clashed Tuesday with Palestinian supporters waiting at a Paris airport for militant French farmer Jose Bove, deported from Israel after visiting Arafat in his besieged office. "Showing solidarity over the Middle East conflict is one thing. But it's totally unacceptable that this leads to conflict between communities, that some blame Jews for what is happening there, and others Arab circles," Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin told RTL radio. President Jacques Chirac decried the violence after meeting a delegation of Jewish students. Police quickly stepped in to break up the fighting at Paris-Orly airport but the pro-Palestinian group continued to chant: "We are all Palestinians" and "Fascist Zionists." In Germany, a gang of seven or eight men attacked two American Jews walking on one of Berlin's smartest streets on Sunday after visiting a synagogue. In Brussels Monday, unknown assailants hurled firebombs at a synagogue. BATTLEFIELD ANNEX? The French daily Le Figaro voiced concern about rising tension between France's Jewish community -- Europe's largest -- and its four to five million Muslims, suggesting the country could become "an annex of the battleground in the Middle East." Jewish leaders in France said the attacks might signal a fresh wave of anti-Semitism reminiscent of the Nazi era. Israel's ambassador to France said young Arabs were behind recent anti-Jewish attacks that were directly linked to the worsening Middle East violence. Tuesday Israeli troops with tanks invaded more West Bank towns after a wave of Palestinian suicide bombings. "I am worried about all these acts," ambassador Elie Barnavi told LCI television. Some Jewish leaders say violence against Jews in France has shot up since the start of the Palestinian uprising against Israel 18 months ago. They accuse the French government of turning a blind eye to what they call organized terrorism. "The French government is very good at speaking out against right-wing extremism. But it has laryngitis when it comes to anti-Semitism," Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center monitoring neo-Nazi activity worldwide, told Reuters by telephone from the center in Los Angeles. The European Union's European Monitoring Center on Racism and Xenophobia said it had recorded a rise in attacks on Jewish communities in Europe, but said this followed the September 11 attacks and was unrelated to Middle East violence. In January, Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Michael Melchior said France was "the worst western country for anti-Semitism." Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon made similar comments. Saturday, the day after Israeli tanks surrounded Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's headquarters in the West Bank town of Ramallah, thousands joined pro-Palestinian protests across France, one of the first western nations to advocate an independent Palestinian state. (Additional reporting from Brussels and Berlin)

[mattdono]

That's what I have heard...and I thought they just hated us "ugly Americans"!

[uglybiker]

France Says It Must Not Be Arab-Jewish Battleground

The French Government announced today that it is surrendering and moving the entire populace to Belgium so as not to make Frace an Arab-Jewish battleground.

[LibertarianLiz]

A blog from The Corner over at NRO:

DEJA VU: [Rod Dreher] They're beating up Jews in the streets of Berlin again -- except this time it's not Nazis, but Arab Islamofascists doing the deed. As in France. A sign of things to come.

[veronica]

Right-wing pro-Israeli activists...

Once again Larry, the idea that all Jews are Liberals is exposed as a falsehood.

[blam]

"Only the reversal of France's suicidal immigration policy can prevent crimes as heinous as the burning of synagogues."

I read an article last week that Le Pen's popularity is soaring.

[blam]

World War III began on 9-11-2001. The mid-easterners will be a problem in every country in the world.

[aBootes]

Make that:

You guys obviously don't know about some of the neo-nazi groups in France. That place has the potential to explode...especially with the influx of immigrants. [EVERYBODY IN EUROPE IS] great at lecturing others about racism but are very xenophobic themselves.

I think this is the most interesting "new" development in the entire event and would be interested in hearing what others think the final outcome will be...

[Lost Highway]

Have the French unconditionally surrendered yet?

[ARCADIA]

Notice that the French government did not speak out when the Jewish sites were burning. No, they waited until a shuffle between Jews and Muslims broke out so they could condemn both groups.

[arkfreepdom]

Good point aBootes. I think these idjits will start killing each other and burning down various ethnic buildings anyday now.....oh, wait they have already started.

[aBootes]

Good point aBootes. I think these idjits will start killing each other and burning down various ethnic buildings anyday now.....oh, wait they have already started.

Yeah. And if the French don't crush this from the start, it is going to spread. Well, we shall see what happens.

I am also amused by the French protestations against making France an annex to Arab-Israeli conflict. Probably not a helpful comment to make at a time like this. It will be interesting to see if Jews remain the sole target or if the Muslim interest broadens to the wider French culture.

[crystalk]

Yeah, all the Jews may leave France all right.

Then FRANCE WILL BECOME A MUSLIM-CHRISTIAN BATTLE GROUND, my friends!

You heard it hear first, France is going to pay for its sins, blood will flow from one end to the other. Charles Martel, Godfrey de Bouillon, et al will be needed, but will not be there.

These present wimpy Arab-kissers will be killed by the very Arabs they were kissing only months before.

[chiefqc]

I can not think of anyone who cares what the french think or say.

You stupid white flag crybabies let them in in the first place. Now deal with it, a don't dare come crying to the USA for any help you stinking cowards.

[crystalk]

The French will learn. Rene Descartes is dead.

For non-Christians, he never lived.

Yes, Cartesians are Christian heretics. Pascal was the mainstream Christian.

[white_wolf]

Crap. France has conservatives like the DNC has conservatives. Gutless conservatives are no better than leftists. The French are anti-American and they suck. Excuse my French. "Courage is the greatest of all virtues because it give life to the rest." --Churchill

[Argus]

The Eurocrats will blame the Jews for all their problems as they did seventy years ago. Charles Martel, who hammered the Arab invasions to a halt at Tours 1200 plus years ago, must be spinning in his grave as his descendants cave in to their degenerate successors.

[Seeking the truth]

Right-wing pro-Israeli activists clashed Tuesday with Palestinian supporters waiting at a Paris airport for militant French farmer Jose Bove, deported from Israel after visiting Arafat in his besieged office.

Isn't this guy the same guy who led the destruction of a McDonalds resturant in France? If I remember correctly, the restaurant was burned down???? Now he aligns himself with Arafat! Why am I not surprised?

[crystalk]

In the book of Revelation, just before Armageddon, it says, "And I saw three unclean spirits LIKE FROGS come out of the mouth of the Beast, and out of mouth of the Dragon, and OUT OF THE MOUTH OF THE FALSE PROPHET (Muhammad).

France thought it could swallow Islam, it was tired of the gentle, rational faith of Messiah=Christ, Jesus, ...threw Him out the door, and guess what?

MUHAMMAD FLEW IN THE WINDOW!

This will be fun to watch. I don't think we should go in like in 1917 and 1942 to save their hides this time.

[Pokey78]

France must not become a battleground where Jews and Muslims re-enact the bloody Middle East violence

Why not? I can't think of a better place for them to 'get it on'.

[crystalk]

1270 years to be exact, called in the Bible "forty-two months (of years)...."