By Claude Kandioti, ISRAEL HAYOM
After the attacks at Charlie Hebdo and a Parisian kosher supermarket two weeks ago and the large police operation in Belgium on Thursday, it appears that politicians have finally realized the gravity of the threat that has grown within Europe in recent years. In the end, a decision was made in Belgium to take appropriate action, but the question remains: it is too late now? Are we battling symptoms rather than the root problem?
Belgian newspapers carried a clear message: “We are at war.” Every editorial praised the lightning-fast operation by the Belgian special forces that raided 10 different targets in a single night and thwarted a planned attack that would have targeted police forces. There is a direct threat on our comfortable way of life, and it is no longer just to Jews, who have warned governments for years. The special forces’ preventative action, which ended with two terrorists killed and one wounded in a shoot-out, woke Belgium up from its daydream.
I thought to myself: “Good morning all, welcome to my club.” The Belgian government led by the young Charles Michel from the center-right acted quickly and decided to take 12 measures, including evaluating anti-terror laws; looking into cancelling citizenship for suspects who aided terrorists; improving intelligence sharing between various government agencies; and using the military to safeguard certain sites such as schools and synagogues.
Even if these steps help, however, might they be too late? The problem has become deeply rooted in certain difficult areas. One example is the city Verviers, where one district with a Muslim majority has a 25 percent unemployment rate. Have we not already crossed the line in Belgium, where Saudi Arabia has been sending religious teachers for the past 40 years, not to teach moderate Islam, but the extremist Wahabi version — all with state funding?
It is no coincidence that the largest amount of foreign nationals joining the Islamic State in proportion to that country’s population comes from Belgium. Some are trying to convince us that these jihadists represent a small minority that is fighting for reasons unrelated to Islam. That is possible, but we don’t see the thousands of Muslims known as the “Gaza Generation” who participated in anti-Israel and pro-Hamas protests during Operation Protective Edge take part in the Charlie Hebdo solidarity rally that brought 20,000 to the streets.
Do I see a future for Belgium’s Jews? The facts speak for themselves: In May, the Jewish Museum in Brussels was attacked and four were killed. Last Friday, the Jewish community in Belgium was put under curfew. All the schools were closed. That has never happened before. This week, my daughter will return from school under military guard. Is this the life I want for my children and myself? Obviously not! I may not be the main target of the Islamist fascists who want to install Sharia in the streets of Europe, but we have stood at the forefront of this fight for too long. Enough is enough!
The remaining million or more Jews of Europe will in fact be in danger unless and until they pack up, emigrate to Israel, and, hopefully, get settled in Yesha, where the Jewish nation needs them and where their growing numbers will push one unwilling and untrustworthy Israeli government coalition after another to legitimize their right to live wherever they wish in Eretz-Yisrael.
Major civil troubles with their growing Islamic populations will spell major trouble for Europe’s ancient Christian states. If they can organize under leaders that will have the qualities of 21st century Charles Martels, that will be good for them. If not, then that’s tough shit for Christian Europe. My concern is solely for our Jewish nation.
The same thing could happen here in North America, if the leaders of the USA and Canada cannot bring themselves to ditch the mindless liberalism that is evaporating the spirit that built these two great countries. The hidden agents for jihad across the face of America and possibly Canada as well are already in place, courtesy of a feckless national leadership.
Arnold Harris
Mount Horeb WI
Column about Jews leaving France, with a great opening quote by science fiction writer Robert Heinlein. The author of the piece is the man whose blog (Instapundit) no doubt inspired the name of this blog.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2015/01/19/paris-jews-french-population-muslim-immigration-europe-column/21959089/
The Europeans were indifferent to, and even justified the Muslim jihad against Israel for decades. Now Europe’s chickens are coming home to roost.
I did not make the connection of the reluctant European Jewish immigrants, , and the mess Israel not finds itself. I thought the socialist stranglehold perhaps came from Soviet immigrant influence?
@ bernard ross:
@ watsa46:
@ Topaz:
Jews have always had a love hate relationship with Europe. Especially Germany. Time after time no matter the hardship persecution, banishment and mass murder etc. the Jews always returned if they could.
Immigration to Israel by Jews who came because of no other choices made the worst of our citizenry. They thought of themselves as Europeans were never zionists and hardly Jewish by conviction . Yet they were the ones who gained ascendency in most of our core state institutions….They passed their views and attitudes to the next 2-3 generations and they largely today make up the hardcore cadres of our extreme leftist anti Zionist elites. Like the media the academia and cultural arts and the judiciary.
The Jews of Europe did not leave soon enough before the Holocaust, because it took that long for most to tear themselves away from the notion that they are French,, or Spaniards, or Italian or Belgians.. Same story.today. Jews are seen as a nation within a nation. How many times have we heard, “In our neighbourhood, we have Italian-Americans, Chinese-Americans, etc. etc., and American Jews.(just change the original nation title). The Juxtaposition is constant and yet barely noticed. So, the dream of this man for his children would apply to all immigrants, except for the Jews. A fact. What is also sad is that so many of those who escaped the horrors of Europe, did not go to Israel, but left for America or returned to Europe, the graveyard of the Jewish people and the cradle of Jew genocide. The Arabs are only continuing that priority.
It has always been too late. A Jew is a Jew and not different whether in the US, EU or anywhere else.
The problem is the Jewish diaspora is being manipulated by the liberal Jews to separate herself from Israel. This is obvious in the US, GB and France.
Union is power. A Belgian saying!
Europes Jews are alone if they rely on europeans. Their charlie wanking merely indicates their proclivity to meaningless drama. If they were serious about protecting the Jews of europe they would cease to libel the jews of israel. they do this intentionally, fully informed and with malice aforethought. Europe daily lies about the jews of israel,this is a fact.
civlized europe at work intentionally lying about and libeling the Jews of israel. Where deception obtains we should not expect anything good.
Even if it is not too late for europe there will likely be decades of civil strife with the muslims and the Jews will likely continue to be sacrificial lambs of appeasement. It is best for Jews to find new futures for their children and to be grateful for a second chance, having not learned the real lessons of the holocaust. for 2000 years Europes has tortured its Jews, there has actually been no hiatus when viewed through millenial glasses. since the last holocaust the anti semitism of europe remains but is covert. Therefore common sense, when unaccompanied by denial, suggests getting out. On top of that there is about to be decades of conflagration between europeans and muslims in europe; that alone should advise getting out.
this one phrase says it all. this foolish, but likely well meaning Jew, views reality as a tract of time in current events only. I find it unbelievable that a Jew living in Belgium should make such an absurd statement with 2000 years of history saying the opposite; with the last euro pogrom being less than 75 years ago. this is a man unrelated to factual history, a man with his head in the sand, an ostrich who endangers his own family with his myopic vision. I never cease to be astounded by the denial of euro jews of their won factual history.
Belgium is not an island, it is part of europe and the Nazi invasion of WWII should suffice to make that clear as they trampled over belgium on the way to france in a couple of days.
It appears that the author is still unclear with regards to this very important question. My question is: what binds this man to europe so much that he is willing to still consider this scenario as being acceptable?
Perhaps he hopes that it will be temporary and europe will return to its “civilized” self? How sensible is that prognosis, where is the evidence for expecting the occurrence of such a prediction, why assume something which has not happened in 2000 years? Does he believe they have changed and where does the support come from to believe such a thing in terms of European behavior. Perhaps its because he believes the euro arguments that their hatred, swindling, libeling and double standards which they apply to Israel is not directed at them, the jews of europe? Perhaps he beleives they have good intentions for the jews of europe but not for the jews of Israel? Perhaps he subscribed to their libels about Israel?
Libels and lies about Jews always preceded the pogroms and holocaust…. the euros are lying and libeling the jews of israel intentionally…… that is a fact.