Article

2005-01-30 Europe

In Europe, an unhealthy fixation on Israel

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by Dan Darling 2005-01-30 12:22:48 AM|| || Front Page|| [9 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Back to normal.

Posted by anonymous2u 2005-01-30 12:55:32 AM|| 2005-01-30 12:55:32 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 I have been trying to post a few articles and they've been going into the void. What am I doing wrong???

OT: Soros said this, cos I can't post the article:

Soros Says Greenspan Lost Credibility Helping Bush (Update1)

...While China loosening its decade-old peg of the renminbi to the dollar would ease pressure on Europe, ``probably it's best not to push China because it might hurt their national pride,'' he said....

Soros said his spending to defeat Bush was not an ``investment gone bad because when you stand up for principles you have to do it whether you win or lose.'' He said he now believes Democratic presidential nominee Kerry ``did not, actually, offer a credible and coherent alternative.''

Soros said he would remain active in American politics, although he hasn't decided in what form.

Posted by anonymous2u 2005-01-30 12:58:05 AM|| 2005-01-30 12:58:05 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 A poll by the Americans putting Israel in 10th place on a list of countries threatening world peace, just ahead of the United States itself.
I would be rather sceptical of poll results where Americans viewed their own country as a #11 "threat" to world peace. Sheesh. Anyways, there were only 1200 people polled, so not a large sampling.

However, I'd say it is a safe bet that Americans' views of Israel would be comparable to Europeans if GWB antagonizes Iran. Iran is clearly viewed as Israel's threat not ours.

Americans have already done the sacrifice of conscripted American sons for a foreign country per the Vietnam War - bad memories. And the ME country as purveyor of WMD against America has been used recently with embaressing revelations about our intelligence gathering.

So let's hope that the Iran situation cools off so Israel's #10 position as a threat to peace stays the same.

Posted by 2xstandard 2005-01-30 1:56:49 AM|| 2005-01-30 1:56:49 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 Nope, we still have a little score to settle from November of 1979.

Posted by anonymous2u 2005-01-30 2:49:45 AM|| 2005-01-30 2:49:45 AM|| Front Page Top

#5 Soros said his spending to defeat Bush was not an ``investment gone bad because when you stand up for principles you have to do it whether you win or lose.''

Pretty damned easy to say when one has money to burn.

Posted by Bomb-a-rama 2005-01-30 4:27:44 AM|| 2005-01-30 4:27:44 AM|| Front Page Top

#6 The revolution, the 444 day hostage crisis, the 200+ marines killed in beirut because of Iranian-backed terrorist, and they are the core of training and financing terrorist in the Middle East even now. It just happens to be that, Israel is constantly fighting terrorist supported from Iran, but it's the US and World's problem too, especially if they aquire Nukes.

Posted by Slomoling Choque7531 2005-01-30 4:36:40 AM|| 2005-01-30 4:36:40 AM|| Front Page Top

#7 Europeans had to suppress their natural impulses for (almost) 60 years --- since Nazis made anti-semitism unfashionable. Now, when they've found an alternate rationale for judeophobia, the Europeans are just making up for lost time.

Posted by gromgorru 2005-01-30 8:40:40 AM|| 2005-01-30 8:40:40 AM|| Front Page Top

#8
This article misses two important reasons for the difference between US and European attitudes toward Israel:

1) The USA has an influential Jewish community that energetically and effectively explains Israel's postions and actions in public discussions.

2) The USA and its citizens have been attacked and targeted by Moslem terrorists many times over the past several decades.
.

Posted by Mike Sylwester 2005-01-30 9:06:20 AM|| 2005-01-30 9:06:20 AM|| Front Page Top

#9 Our own left espouses the same views as this article. It just seems overwhelming to me, the ignorance and self-righteousness that goes behind those on the left (and extreme far right), who wish to blame Israel.

Start any discussion about anything and they will always bring it back to the Palestinian/Israeli conflict.

If you ask me, it's all marketing. Someone has done a GREAT job of marketing the Palestinian conflict - to the point where all other massacres, genocides, starvations are simply ignored - not because they don't care, but because they don't really know about them.

If during a rant about Israel, you ask someone on the left why they care so much more about the numerically fewer Palestinian deaths (usually terrorists) than the other civilian mass genocides of the day - such as Congo, Sudan, Zimbabwe, mass starvation in Korea, etc. etc. they get incredulous because they don't even know about them. And it's actually kind of fun to bring it up - cause they get really defensive because they can't argue what they don't know about - it strips them of their self-righteous I'm smarter than you because I understand the nuance that you don't grasp and they usually just will get huffy and walk off.

Educating about the Holocaust is important - but it does nothing to suppress the beliefs by this crowd, who have a disconnect between the "Jews" of Nazi Germany and the "Israeli's in Israel". Plus, as I've said before, and believe strongly, educating the holocaust in a vacuum without the context of the multiple other ethic cleansing genocides - reinforces Hitler's "Jews are bad, Jews to blame" propaganda to a whole new generation...many will reject it - but many will believe.

Sigh. I don't have any answers - but it's easy to see that, as in Hitler's time, it is the relentless propaganda in the media that is to blame for fanning the flames of anti-Semitism. CNN, AP, BBC, NPR have all been marketing the Palestinian crisis as "Jews bad" Palestinians good" for decades. IMHO that's where the battle against anti-Semitism needs to be fought - not in the history books - but in exposing the reasons why the MSM fails to put their focus on anything except The Plight of the Palestinians Against the Evil Jews.TM

Posted by 2b 2005-01-30 9:19:27 AM|| 2005-01-30 9:19:27 AM|| Front Page Top

#10 Re #8: We do have a significant Jewist population. The Europeans, under the wise (sarcasm here if you're missing it)guidance of the Germans, solved that problem. Growing up in the midwest, where there was hardly a black person to be seen, the racism against them was rampant and virulent. Same scenario. It's easy and cheap to be bigoted against people who aren't around to do anything about it. Same reason for supporting the paleos. Lots of moslems in Europe. Not wise to piss them off, since most of them appear to be crazy.

Posted by Weird Al 2005-01-30 9:29:39 AM|| 2005-01-30 9:29:39 AM|| Front Page Top

#11 Let's put it this way; if Israel and the Jews didn't exist, her enemies would be forced to invent one.

If Israel disappeared tomorrow, all that hatred would find another outlet. It has *nothing* to do with Israel. It only has to do with hate...and envy.

Posted by Seafarious 2005-01-30 9:30:53 AM|| 2005-01-30 9:30:53 AM|| Front Page Top

#12 Jews with a State it's worst than, yep... here it comes!

Posted by Shipman 2005-01-30 9:34:36 AM|| 2005-01-30 9:34:36 AM|| Front Page Top

#13 well said seafarious!

Posted by 2b 2005-01-30 10:05:39 AM|| 2005-01-30 10:05:39 AM|| Front Page Top

#14 It's all projection, isn't it, Seafarious?

Shipman---saw that flash video a while back.
"Cow Tse Tung" That was a great line.

Posted by Alaska Paul 2005-01-30 12:14:47 PM|| 2005-01-30 12:14:47 PM|| Front Page Top

#15 And in the meantime Blacks are killed in Sudan

Posted by JFM 2005-01-30 12:26:53 PM|| 2005-01-30 12:26:53 PM|| Front Page Top

#16 AP it's like redundant again humor.

Posted by Shipman 2005-01-30 1:17:30 PM|| 2005-01-30 1:17:30 PM|| Front Page Top

#17 Perhaps the Left supporting tyrannies in preference to democracies needs no explanation. Otherwise, I think Europe sees its future in the Arab-Israli conflict and it is in denial. 'We are not nasty Jews and therefore this is not in our future.'

Posted by phil_b 2005-01-30 2:55:50 PM|| 2005-01-30 2:55:50 PM|| Front Page Top

#18 The revolution, the 444 day hostage crisis, the 200+ marines killed in beirut because of Iranian-backed terrorist...

Don't forget the Khobar Towers.

Posted by Pappy 2005-01-30 9:53:37 PM|| 2005-01-30 9:53:37 PM|| Front Page Top

#19 Ship - now that's funny! :-D

Posted by Barbara Skolaut 2005-01-30 11:37:29 PM|| 2005-01-30 11:37:29 PM|| Front Page Top

23:57 CrazyFool
23:54 Sobiesky
23:43 Steven Den Beste
23:37 Barbara Skolaut
23:27 Barbara Skolaut
23:24 Barbara Skolaut
23:18 .com
23:16 .com
23:12 someone
23:03 CrazyFool
22:59 Sobiesky
22:59 .com
22:57 Jarhead
22:57 Pepe Lopez
22:52 .com
22:51 Jarhead
22:51 Matt
22:50 Desert Blondie
22:50 Hans Averdung
22:46 Jarhead
22:30 BH
22:22 BH
22:14 Pappy
22:12 Barbara Skolaut