Fears of anti-Semitism after France attack
2012-03-20 15:50
Jerusalem - Israeli media commentators on
Tuesday warned of the growing spectre of anti-Semitism in Europe, a day after
an attack at a Jewish school in Toulouse that left four people dead.
"The attack in Toulouse will undoubtedly
add to European Jews' feeling of vulnerability," the Jerusalem Post wrote
in an editorial titled "Protecting France's Jews."
The English-language daily said that since
late 2000, France's Jewish community had "been exposed to the most extensive
outbreak of anti-Semitic violence since the Holocaust."
"Due to the rise of both Islamist and
right-wing anti-Semitism, France's Jews have grown increasingly
uncomfortable," the editorial said.
Israel reeled after the incident on Monday,
with several of the victims reported to hold dual French-Israeli nationality,
and the country's Haaretz newspaper said the murder could not fail to evoke the
Holocaust.
"Many thought that after the Holocaust
and the Nazi occupation, French children would never again be murdered in cold
blood because of their religion," commentator Sefy Hendler wrote.
"But that's just what appears to have
happened."
Writing in the daily Maariv, right-wing
commentator Ben-Dror Yemini, criticised international institutions including
the UN, saying they displayed little interest in the plight of Jews.
Global jihad on hatred of Israel
"Terrorism continues and is getting
worse, but that doesn't particularly interest international organisations, in
fact to the contrary," he wrote.
He also warned of growing anti-Semitism in
France.
"The problem isn't radical Islam. We can
live with that snake and occasionally cut off its head," he said.
"The problem is the support that this
hatred has. There's a strong convergence, particularly in France, between the
extreme-right, the extreme-left and global jihad on hatred of Israel and the
Jews."
Dan Margolit, a commentator for
mass-circulation freesheet Israel Hayom, said Israel was inextricably tied to
the fate of Jews everywhere.
"The white and blue (Israeli flag) is
identified with Jewish blood throughout the world," he wrote, predicting
that for some French Jews the incident would push them towards emigrating to
Israel or at least putting down some roots in the Jewish state.
"French Jews will wake up, some of them
will buy apartments in Israel, though they will remain empty, others who were
already thinking of moving to Israel will emigrate," he said.
"Others will invest in reinforcing the
security at their schools and Jewish institutions. These measures will be in
place for a few months and then for budgetary reasons and after the illusion of
calm has appeared, they will be reduced until the next terrorist attack."
Writing in the same newspaper, France's
ambassador to Israel, Christophe Bigot, called the incident a "national catastrophe."
"We will not give in to terrorism.
Hatred will not prevail. Know that France is more determined than ever to
pursue the murderers and bring them to justice," he said.
