When European leaders criticise Islam Israel-bashing comes next

After British P.M. David Cameron speech about multiculturalism (i.e. Islam), British Foreign Minister William Hague has harsh words against Israel.  This pattern is repeated time after time.

"The British and other European governments would be well-advised to put more real effort into improving the situation on the ground instead of just taking the backseat and leaving Israel, the only democracy in the region, alone. Talk is cheap, but action is what we need." (Ronald Lauder)

(EJP) --- The World Jewish Congress expressed disappointment about comments made this week by British Foreign Minister William Hague on the Middle East and Israel, calling them "one-sided".

In an interview with The Times in London, Hague said Israel should tone down what he tered its "belligerent" language amid the revolutionary tide sweeping the Arab world, when he was asked to comment recent statements made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the situation in Egypt.

In a meeting earlier this week with a visting delegation of European parliamentarians, Netanyahu spoke of the possibility that the Islamists in Egypt would exploit the situation in order to gain governance over the country and lead it backwards, in fact warning that Egypt could become a new Iran. He said Israel had to be prepared for "any outcome" in Egypt and "to reinforce its might".

William Hague was quoted by the British newspaper as saying that "this should not be a time for belligerent language".

"It's a time to inject greater urgency into the Middle East peace process," he added.  He also demanded that the Obama administration give a timetable for bringing "greater urgency into the peace process" and for a peace settlement to be based on the borders prior to 1967.

On Wednesday World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder issued a strong statement on Hague’s comments. "Putting undue political pressure on Israel alone, completely neglecting its vital security interests, is counterproductive and unhelpful,” he said, criticizing Europe's political leaders "who on an almost daily basis go around the Middle East lecturing the Israelis about what they should do, and that they should do it now."

In Auschwitz, Turkey minister accuses EU of 'racism'

Of course, the proper place to say this for a "moderate" Turkish minister was at a Holocaust commemoration at Auschwitz, and then to provide a clarification ... no offence intended.

The EU risks being besieged by a racist mentality "that emulates the fascist methods of the 1930s," said Turkish EU Affairs Minister Egemen Bagis, speaking at a Holocaust commemoration event in Auschwitz.


A claim by a Turkish minister that the EU risks falling victim to "the facist methods of the 1930s" has drawn a request for clarification, the European Union said Thursday.


Ankara's minister for European Union affairs and its chief negotiator in enlargement talks with the bloc, Egemen Bagis, said at a Holocaust commemoration at Auschwitz this week that the union was at risk from racism.

"The EU, founded in order to eliminate the threats of that period to peace, is today at risk of being overtaken by a racist mentality that... emulates the fascist methods of 1930s," he said.
Read more HERE

Belgian employer's gift to aliyah employees

Four diamond industry workers' decision to make aliyah from Belgium prompts their employer to make surprise call – open Israeli branch. 'Great opportunity for all of us to make aliyah and continue working in field we love and know,' says one employee

Four Jewish diamond industry workers from Belgium decided to make aliyah in spite of their employer's efforts to convince them to stay. When he realized that he was about to lose them, he decided to open an Israeli branch so that they would continue to work for him in Israel.

The four worked at an international company, a Belgian and South African partnership – working in Antwerp for over 30 years. The company deals with producing diamonds in South Africa and Botswana. The foursome were considered dedicated employees who contributed a lot to the company. They decided to make aliyah together, and last weekend they arrived on special Jewish Agency flights with 200 other olim from France and Belgium.

One of these olim is Ilan Engel (32) who decided to follow his Israeli-born wife to Israel. She returned to Israel with their daughter a year ago, and they will be living in Bat Yam.

Two other employees decided to make aliyah to be with their children and grandchildren in Givat Shmuel and Raanana. The fourth, Julie Aharon (23), single, will be living in Tel Aviv. The company's owner tried to convince the four of them to stay with the company and even promised to give them a raise if they were to reconsider their aliyah decision. When he understood that they were enthusiastic Zionists he surprised them with an announcement: "I'll open an Israeli branch for you."

Belgian students call for boycott of Israel at Brussels tourism fair

BRUSSELS (EJP)---Some 60 pro-Palestinian activists wearing a T-shirt calling for a boycott of Israel circled a Belgian stand promoting Israel at the annual tourism fair in Brussels on Saturday.
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The very anti-Israel Belgian Francophone TV channel even covered the event and reported that many of the protesters were students from the Free University of Brussels.  Belgian Jewish leaders, as usual, keep a low profile ... and say nothing.

T-shirt with Carlos Latuff's drawing. See Brussels : IDF child killer Christmas demonstration

Portuguese 15th c. anti-Semitism compared to Israeli cruelty towards Palestinians

Israel-bashing has become such a sport and Israel-bashers' resources are endless and fanciful.  Joseph Dana [1], a great expert, has come up with a historical comparison that no Portuguese has ever dreamt of.  And in the process he even manages to get his facts wrong.

"Attacking children and youth is one of the most perverse forms of collective punishment. In the 15th century, King Manuel of Portugal [wrong again, it was not King Manuel but his predecessor and cousin, King John II - see below - picture] ordered the first born [wrong] child of almost two thousand Jewish families be banished to the remote island of São Tomé in order to collectively punish [wrong] the Jews for not converting to Christianity upon their arrival to Portugal from Spain. Eventually, Portugal forcibly converted its Jewish population, but over [it is either "almost" as written above or "over" as written here, not both in the same paragraph] 2000 children were banished to the island. [...]

The Portuguese banished Jewish children to a remote island, Israel banishes Palestinian children to remote concrete jails."

Click to enlarge (Pidgins and Creoles: References survey, by John A. Holm)

[1] "Dana’s writing has been published in the Nation, Electronic Intifada, The National, Alternet, Huffington Post, Haaretz and Al Jazzera English. His reporting from the West Bank has been feature in the New York Times." (from his blog)

Spain: more anti-Israel indoctrination in schools

Also: Amnesty International Promotes Anti-Semitism Among Children

Source: Spain, Israel and the Jews

Two Galician associations known as Cosal and Buserana will adhere to the Rumbo a Gaza (literally, Road to Gaza) campaign, officially intended to send another flotilla to the Gaza Strip. They'll also try to gain public support through "informative" activities in schools. Chicha Martínez, member of both of the associations, explained in Cee's municipal plenary room that an agreement was reached in order to perform their activities in schools of Corcubión, Cee and Muxía municipalities, and that the number of schools to visit will grow during the next days.

Martínez's conference in Cee's municipal plenary room was completed with a documentary about the Gaza flotilla stopped by the Tzahal the night between Sunday, May 30, and Monday, May 31, 2010.

First of all, sending another flotilla to the Gaza Strip would be opposed to U.N.R.W.A.'s official policy. Martin Nesirsky, a U.N. spokesperson, explained last July that even the U.N.R.W.A. considers that routes for supplies to enter by land through Israel's border are well established, and that those routes are the way to send the humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

Secondly, it should be noted that the last Gaza flotilla seemed to be an act of provocation rather than a humanitarian campaign, if we attend to the evidence that demostrate the pre-planned violence by the activists and I.H.H.'s ties with international terrorism.

Finally, we must ask ourselves about the supposed democratic and legal legitimacy of the arrangement between the aforementioned Galician associations and Corcubión's, Cee's and Muxía's municipal authorities. This is not about teaching schoolchildren lessons on universal human values, democracy or ethics. What Cosal and Buserana associations are trying to do is to gain support by indoctrinating kids into an specific political ideology.

Cairo: Belgian anti-Israel journalist captured, beaten, accused of spying

Serge Dumont is Jewish and his real  name is Maurice Safatti.  He works for the notoriously anti-Israel Belgian newspaper Le Soir and is their correspondent in Israel.  His articles are much appreciated by anti-Zionist blogs such as France Palestine Solidarité. See HERE. Here is what we wrote about him in 2008 : Belgian newspaper Le Soir claims that Israel prefers Western immigrants and which is typical of his style.  We hope that he is safe and that he will be released as soon as possible.

European newspapers are reporting that a Belgian correspondent in Cairo has been beaten, detained and accused of spying.

The papers say Serge Dumont was covering a demonstration in support of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak when he was taken by unidentified people in civilian clothes to a military post, where he was accused of espionage.

Dumont, whose real name is Maurice Sarfatti, reports for newspapers in Brussels, northern France and Geneva.

The papers said that Dumont told them by telephone that he was punched repeatedly in the face Wednesday and called him a supporter of opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei.  The newspapers said they were vigorously protesting what they said was an attack on freedom of information.