Posted on 07/18/2004 6:18:18 PM PDT by O.C. - Old Cracker
PARIS (Reuters) - France sharply criticized Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Sunday after he urged French Jews to emigrate immediately to Israel to escape what he called "the wildest anti-Semitism."
Branding Sharon's language "unacceptable," a French Foreign Ministry spokesman said Paris had demanded an explanation.
France, home to western Europe's biggest Jewish and Muslim communities, has been troubled by attacks on Jewish people and property in recent years, some of it blamed on youths of North African origin angered by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Sharon, who regularly calls on all the world's Jews to migrate to Israel, acknowledged in a speech to Jewish leaders in Jerusalem that the French government was making efforts to stem anti-Semitism. But he added that the threat was so grave that French Jews should head for Israel without delay.
"If I have to advise our brothers in France, I'll tell them one thing -- move to Israel, as early as possible. I say that to Jews all around the world, but there (in France) I think it's a must and they have to move immediately," Sharon said.
The French spokesman said: "We have been informed of comments made today by Sharon calling on the Jews of France to emigrate to Israel.
"We immediately made contact with the Israeli authorities to ask for an explanation of these unacceptable comments."
Some 600,000 Jews and five million Muslims form part of France's population of 60 million.
The French Interior Ministry registered 67 attacks on Jews or their property and 160 threats against Jews in the first quarter of this year compared with 42 attacks and 191 threats in the last three months of 2003.
(Additional reporting by Megan Goldin in Jerusalem)
© Copyright Reuters Ltd. All rights reserved. The information contained In this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of Reuters Ltd.
07/18/2004 19:44
I agree with the other poster who said that the French want the Jews to stay as a rage magnet for the Islamofascists.
Hah, I think that everyone should quit france. It is a dead culture and they speak a dead language.
What?
Every time some liberal individual, organization, or govt. hack moans about something, the media whores print a headline saying that they "slammed", "skewered", or "lambasted" their political enemy. It's all a giant crock of warm crap. To slam somebody, you have to be in the ballpark of credibility and moral authority. These liberal idiots aren't even on the right planet and their lock on 98% of the media is the only reason these worthless skunks have any credence at all.
Nowhere in the article does it explain why Sharon's comments were unacceptable. Did the reporter miss it or was it just not there?
First of all, French Jews are smart enough to figure out where to live, absent any politician's advice.
Secondly, the ancient accusation that Jews place loyalty to Israel over loyalty to their host country is given new life. And then Jews in various host countries will be forced to declare their primary loyalty - France or Israel? The UK or Israel? America or Israel? No Jew should ever be asked such a rude question.
I am afraid that this is not one of Sharon's better moments.
I disagree. It's a crying shame (historically speaking) that the Jews of Germany in the '30s didn't listen to the few voices counselling escape before it was too late. Sharon is not "telling anyone where to live". He's just stating the obvious:
France has become too risky for you to remain in, as was Germany in the '30s, and you're always welcome in Israel.
I think he said the right thing at the right time, and those Jews in France who don't listen are fools.
The spokesman then added, "I don't care what the greedy, hook-nosed yids say, there is no anti-semetism in France."
It is a conundrum. France does not forbid Jews to leave France if and when they choose. Now if it began to look as though France might change that policy, it would be a whole nother ball of wax.
Sharon's call puts America in a bit of a pickle, too. Does America's "support for Israel" now amount to a tacit support of wanting France to be rid of its Jews? That is a plasma temperature hot potato.
America does not have to express and opinion on this.
Sharon said what he said, France responded, and we don't need to go "on record" with anything. We have our own immigration rules and regs and nothing about this flap need be mentioned by the WH.
I think you're right about that. French Jews, minority though they are, also make powerful contributions to commerce and scholarship.
America can "no comment" all it wants; the question hangs like a vulture.
It is an irony for America to hugely subsidize a state which wants a lot of its own citizens to leave, by the way. Should they actually do so, the impetus for America to keep up this policy would, I daresay, diminish greatly.
I'm not really getting your point. The US supplies foreign aid to Israel (as it does to Egypt and a bunch of other Muslim states) and that means... what?
Are you saying we are all personally responsible for Sharon's words?
Are you saying the islamo-craps are going to hate us any more than they already hate us because Sharon said the obvious, that Jews should leave the French Republic of Islamocrapia? I don't get what you mean. Sorry.
The USA is hugely subsidizing Israel. Israel would not just get a little poorer if the USA quit. Israel would go down the tubes (short of a divine miracle).
Aid to Israel is 4 billion a year. Israeli GDP in 2002 was 122 billion. Israel wouldn't fold if it lost the 4 billion. I'm not saying we should quit giving it... rather, that it's not sink-or-swim for them. They have a vibrant economy that produces a lot of high-tech innovation, unlike the Egyptians (for example) who would probably suffer instant chaos if the US aid were withdrawn.
I believe most/all of the posters have forgotten that there is something Biblical regarding the Jewish people returning to their homeland in the last days.....
Well, it would be quite easy for the USA to stop, then, if Israel is in such a nice position. Why doesn't it? Israel should in fact be asking for that; no more Congress getting its knickers into a knot when Israel uses some super cosmo weapon contrary to US Federal law.
Yep. And it's here already as well. One can almost guarantee that, when a media report excludes one's race, they are a "protected class" (= non-caucasian).
This has become so ridiculous that, during reports of on-going (i.e. BOLO) crime reports, the media will describe the perp as "5'10'', wearing blue jeans, etc." AND LEAVE OUT COMPLEXION ENTIRELY! I have no doubt but that the pusillanimous, ignorant Lefties would sell their own children in order to save themselves and their precious ideology (or in their case, their idiot-ology).
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.