Comments on: Europe is not lost

By: Martin Gray

Martin Gray — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:49:36 +0000

As I said Meir Moses Eurabia is a waste of time; The world would be a much better place had we let you live under the Russian boot for 50 years and not wasted the time, money and energy that went into defending you while you squandered your money on a spoiled welfare society.

By: Shlomo Toren

Shlomo Toren — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 11:47:19 +0000

OP Ed's like this are gold.

It is very important to see the facts beyond the perceptions we receive through the media. In Israel there are many who emphasize the negative aspects of our relation with the EU (usually concerned with the EU hag Ashton) but forget the extensive trade ties between Israel and the EU. So while things could be much better, in fact ties between the EU and Israel are strong and there is a good base for improving them further.

I would propose that one step would be to increase informal ties between the economic elite of the EU and Israel in hope that a "trickle down" effect could improve how the EU media outlets present Israel the other course is through encouraging tourism from the EU and investing in marketing strategies that can turn tourists into goodwill ambassadors for Israel. Of course nothing is easy, still Israel has so many positive aspects that we should make an effort to build goodwill on them.

By: Shlomo Toren

Shlomo Toren — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 11:47:19 +0000

OP Ed's like this are gold.

By: Gary Chambers

Gary Chambers — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 10:17:56 +0000

"The Brits themselves are bigots to the bone when it comes to Jews"…talk about a vast, sweeping, ugly slur. This particular Brit is a philo-semite with a proactive attitude to defending Israel whenever and wherever required. And considering I live in the Middle East… that is an attitude that gains me no advantage and is not without a modicum of risk. Yes, there is a residual anti-semitic tendency in some parts of the metroplitan left (particularly in some quarters at the BBC and certain broadsheet newspapers)that is thinly disguised as concern for the Palestians. And unquestionably certain sections of the UK's Muslim community have an overt contempt for Jews. The majority of Brits are, however, not anti-semites. Many are fully aware of the existential threat that confronts Israel on a daily basis and many sympathise. If there is a problem with the Brits, it is that many of them (outside London) know very little about Judaism in the UK.

By: Levi Kofman

Levi Kofman — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 05:11:46 +0000

It's just a coincidence that the name Mohammed is the most popular name for new born babies in EU countries like Britian and that the most radical muslim terrorists were either raised and/or educated in Europe, there communties across the continent that have become radical Islamist enclaves which are no go zones for the police and there are constant riots, gang rapes, murder, "honor killings" of young girls and women etc, etc. Israels "settlements" are a red herring that is convientnaly used as a diversion from many issues ….we won't even talk about all the settlements and colonies still reatained by european coutries, the fact that they commit grave human rights violations plus the fact that there are far greater and more pressing issues in the middle east.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 02:53:30 +0000

Meir Moses, your first abusive sentence applies above all to your own comments,as do so many abusive comments on blogs. Jews are personally threatened in Amsterdam, Paris, Lyons, Malmo, Manchester and elsewhere, by Islamist antisemites, to the point that many are leaving for Israel, just as they have already been driven out of all Muslim Middle Eastern countries. An article in The Times of Israel documents the rise of both old-style and leftist antisemitism in alliance with Islamist antisemitism in Europe: http://www.timesofisrael.com/study-shows-growth-in-european-anti-semitism/

By: Piotr Sitarek

Piotr Sitarek — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 20:08:03 +0000

The fact is, however repulsive some may choose to find Europe, it is infinitely closer to Israel than to Iran.

By: Meir Moses

Meir Moses — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 19:41:11 +0000

This is just a stupid and pointless comment. Most Jewish communities in Europe are sfa Your friendship should be focused on China instead? Get real. You talk about facts but have none.

By: Koen Pauwels

Koen Pauwels — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 16:10:07 +0000

dank je, Dana. I agree with your full first paragraph, but not with the second. The reason "most Europeans can't even see their way to clearly see the conflict in a balanced way" is that the European mainstream media switched from being pro- to anti-Zionist in the 70s, and thus report the news in the way you describe. The flip side of this is the American mainstream media, which does just the opposite you describe. It is just too tempting for both mainstream media to tell a consistent narrative and paint "the underdog" in the best way – they just disagree on who the underdog is.

By: Adam Burman

Adam Burman — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 15:59:49 +0000

The difference is, Israel will not surrender to death-cult tyranny as europe is doing.

By: Martin Gray

Martin Gray — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 15:33:43 +0000

Like our friends, Messrs.. Chaudary and Turner, frequent commentators on these pages, one is always entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts. The long litany of facts about the U.K. and the rest of the European nations that convinces many if us in America, Jew and Gentile alike, that you in Europe are a complete lost cause regarding Jews and Israel as well as the United States, regardless of Israeli or American governments, peace agreements, settlements, rocket fire, murder of women and children, genocidal incitement and threats, makes me believe that supporting you through NATO and the UN has always been a fool's errand. We should have withdrawn from your land decades ago and fed you to the Russians piece meal. Our friendship and attention should be focused on China, Japan, India and South and Central America – not you. You're simply not worth it.

By: Paul Turner

Paul Turner — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 15:05:20 +0000

I forgot to mention that Israel has a far higher proportion of Muslim Arabs living within its borders than any European country. Maybe Israel should be renamed Israbia.

By: Paul Turner

Paul Turner — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 15:03:44 +0000

Agreed. A logical and balanced comment which no doubt will be condemned as anti Semitic.

By: Paul Turner

Paul Turner — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 14:57:35 +0000

< the UK population is about 96% NON-Muslim>
It may be slightly less, maybe around 93% but the premise of your post is entirely accurate. To portray the UK as a Muslim caliphate as so many do, is just pure ignorance.

By: Dana Meijler-Gross

Dana Meijler-Gross — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 14:52:22 +0000

Koen, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_antisemitism

And no, being critical of Israel does not make you automatically an antisemite, many Jews in fact are critical of Israel. The difference is if you generalize that everything Israel does is bad and you ignore the facts, which is that it is a complicated dispute and that both sides have made mistakes in equal measure. Most Europeans that I know, can't even see their way clear to see the conflict in a balanced way. When Hamas sends a suicide bomber into Israel they say, 'that's terrible but if Israel was not occupying Palestine, this wouldn't happen.' And when Israel retaliates to defend itself and protect its citizens from said terrorists than Israel is the aggressor. And of course the Palestinians play into this idea to gain that sympathy. They freely let the press in and stage scenes to support this idea while the IDF controls the information, due to security reasons. Therefore most of the information that Europeans receive on the conflict reinforce their ideas.

It's really not a far reach from more classic forms of antisemitism to this. Europeans have been bred to be antisemitic since the crucifixion and of course there are Europeans who do not think this way, but based on my own personal experience, more Europeans do.