Opinion
The day Europe died
Yigal Walt
Published: 21.03.12, 10:44
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31. To: Gallula at No. 27
Sarah B ,   U.S.A. / Israel   (03.21.12)
Israel is the only country in the world where no one will curse you or spit upon you because you are a Jew. France's history with Jews is not very good, and given the incredible increase of Arabs arriving from former French colonies and from Algeria (which was not a colony, but rather a department of France), and their violent proclivities towards Jews, France is no place for Jews. Making aliyah is not easy, but there are quite a few agencies in place that will help you. There is a large French-speaking community of Jews in Israel. Once you learn Hebrew, you can parlay your native French speaking skills, coupled with your reasonable ability in English, to find meaningful work, particularly if you have a profession. But knowing that you will wake up every morning in a place where the word "Jew" is not a curse -- what value can you put on that? Knowing that in France, people turn a blind eye to anti-Semitism -- is that worth staying? I wish you much luck. No transition is ever easy. But it is occasionally very worthwhile.
32. Christian europe and UK...please note
peggy ,   uk   (03.21.12)
churches are empty and being turned into bingo halls!!! Mosques..well just go by one on Friday...full to the brim. I hear people on the street moan about the moslems and how they demand stuff...so instead of sitting in front of your TV watching footy etc, get up and damn well do something. How dare they dictate to the UK any laws..... When good men sit aside, evil thrives!!!!!!!!!
33. good artilce
milson   (03.21.12)
ashton meant what she said about gaza children. it is european and british ransom paid to their arabs on the backs of jews. Ashton's lies were obvious as was her attempt to correct it which only made it worse. She can no longer come to israel or be part of any referee on future talks which are irrlevant anyways. The plo will not only be disbanded as abbas wants but they will be liquidated especially abbas who with a nice suit has been inciting and causing death to israel. he has to be the first to go. In the meantime, ashton should take extra medication so she doesn't have to face reallity. She is finished.
34. She never said anything of the kind
Shachar ,   Eilat   (03.21.12)
I saw the video where she supposedly compared the Toulouse killings to Gaza children and she made no such comparison. What she did say was the heart is torn whenever children are killed whether it is Belgian children in a bus crash, Syrian children , the children murdered in Toulouse or children in Gaza. How wonderfully right wing to concoct a story and sstick to it even when disproven. Very similiar to anti-semetic behaviour.....
35. say goodbye to the Europe we once knew.
observer   (03.21.12)
You appear to have a very short memeory. You should have written: Welcome back to the Europe we knew so well. They were able to hide their feelings for about 60 years, they they exploded again. The comments made by this lowlife Ashton are merely the cream on the cake.
36. For #26
Guy ,   London   (03.21.12)
Talk about massacre in gaza, you should be ashamed Refer your islamo-fascists friends of Hamas As they used civilian as human shields Mohammed him hum , same name as the killer, does he like you? ,.....
37. So we are dead, okay.
berlonski ,   berlin   (03.21.12)
Which means: you can ignore us. And we (not feeling dead at all) can ignore you. Makes things much easier. Kol hakavod!
38. why blame Europe,?
chaim,s 54st ,   brooklyn ny   (03.21.12)
they are only repeating the Arab propaganda they read in Haaretz
39. Hillbillies
Zyx ,   US   (03.21.12)
Israel too has its hillbillies and Yigal Walt is one of them. Geneva is not in the EU and the hamas leader spoke at a UN conference, the UN is not Europe. Catherine Ahston is incompetent and stupid. Thank G. she has no power.
40. europes death
ed ,   sparks, america   (03.21.12)
i am glad somebody had the guts to speak the truth. i as an american am sad to say that my supposed president isn't any better than ashton!
41. The Day Europe died.
Jinx Kaplan ,   Ft Lauderdale FL   (03.21.12)
If there was a button I could press and all of Europe would fall into a firery abyss I wouldn't hesitate to press it.
42. Asthon's not a saint, but I beg to differ...
Flavio ,   Sao Paulo, Brazil   (03.21.12)
Having just read the original statement made in the meeting with Palestinians/UNRWA, it is clear to me that, althou unfortunate and ill timed, there is no explicit comparison there, in any way, linking the Toulouse attack to Gaza, there's no attempt there to create a cause-and-effect relationship. True, she could -and should- have refrained to include Toulouse, Norway and Gaza in the same basket, but I honestly cannot see any hint or trace of antisemitism and/or anti-Israel bias in the statement. Read for yourselves, it's on the second page: http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/EN/foraff/129054.pdf
43. euros dead since 1492
moron ,   galut   (03.21.12)
they exported their best to new world--kept the worst
44. let's not forget...
p ,   san diego   (03.21.12)
I am confused as to your lament about the "Europe we once knew"....Let's not forget that Europe is the birthplace of anti-semitism. Might I remind you of the Spanish Inquisition, the Holy Wars, and, of course, the HOLOCAUST?
45. Let us move
Yoav ,   Germany   (03.21.12)
I think it would be a nice gesture when all/mostly Jews would take their bagage and emigrate out of Europe in some term of 10 years. Let us leave Europe alone with their so beloved muslims. When the main Jewish community will call us, start emigration process, I think many, many Jewish would leave this continent. Europe begin to disguisting me and for me its just 5 befor 12
46. This whole article is BS...but we all know
Edithann ,   USA   (03.21.12)
you're pain is more intense then any others... TATA
47. To all my Jewish sisters and brothers in diaspora
Iakov ,   Rehovot, Israel   (03.21.12)
When I did Alyah last year, I had no illusions: there is many problems here in Israel, internal and external difficulties and tensions. But I'm pretty sure: there is a reason for it. Israel, - like the whole our world, - was created imperfect in order to give us a chance to change things for good, create life from death, garden from desert. Of course, I don't speak about self-sacrifice - Israel is a place to enjoy our lives - but more of us will resolve existing problems faster. So, we here are waiting for you to join us in this tiny country, the only Jewish state in the world. The will be no other place for our people, but this State never will be destroyed. I believe it.
48. Europe dies? U think the old Europe full of war was better??
Neo ,   EU   (03.21.12)
49. To: No. 46
Sarah B ,   U.S.A. / Israel   (03.21.12)
Shut up, Idiotann. Our pain is more intense because more Jews have been massacred throughout history than any other known identifiable group. While the world, for the most part, stood by and watched in silence. And if the Arab and Moslem riffraff have their way, those massacres will continue. A family was devastated in Toulouse, and a sweet innocent girl was murdered. By a self-proclaimed Al Qaeda terrorist. Are you now defending Al Qaeda? Have you forgotten the bombing of the United States Embassies in Dar as Salaam and Nairobi? Have you forgotten the bombing of the USS Cole? Have you forgotten the events of September 11, 2001? Perhaps Al Qaeda should duke it out with Hamas. If the Al Qaeda terrorist who massacred the Jews in Toulouse REALLY wants to do something in the name of ersatz "Palestinian" children, what better place to start than to kill the ersatz "Palestinian" terrorists that use ersatz "Palestinian" children as human shields, raise them to glorify death and destruction, and turn them into complete psychopaths? You are a complete disgrace, and your willful ignorance, while shocking, is not entirely unexpected. By the way, look at your post at No. 46. it's not "you're," it's "your." And it is not "then," it's "than." TA TA.
50. To: No. 26
Sarah B ,   U.S.A. / Israel   (03.21.12)
You are wrong. The various terrorist organizations that fire missile salvos into Israel do so from civilian areas. They also cache weapons in schools, mosques and hospitals (that's a war crime, by the way, but terrorists don't really care about war crimes, do they?). Unfortunately for them -- and for the people of Gaza -- Israel is a sovereign state with an affirmative duty to protect and defend its citizens. When any of the terrorist organizations in Gaza fire missiles into Israel, Israel has a right to counter. It is not Israel's fault -- nor is it Israel's problem -- that the vile terrorist elements in Gaza have no problem using civilians and children as human shields. Do you think that lining up twenty schoolchildren in front of a missile launcher in any way negates Israel's obligation to protect its citizens? Of course it doesn't. A missile launcher is a legitimate military target. If you are going to fault ANYONE for the deaths of civilians in Gaza, you should fault the terrorist organizations that use them callously as human shields.
51. Europe cannot be identified only by Ashton and Merah
Borislava ,   Sofia, Bulgaria   (03.21.12)
Palestinian’s biases of Ashton are not unprecedented. On the contrary, creates a sort of tradition. But this blunder is so noticeable and remarkable that there is no way to go with the usual Europe's attempts to whitewash the situation by shifting the subject. The only HUMAN response in this situation should be disgust, pain, sympathy and compassion! Any other reaction lowers to the level of this disgusting person (Merah). On the agenda is the question of Ashton’s political competence or something much simpler, for which we don’t know. In contemporary language - what went wrong Peter Kellner (regard to his Jewish roots).
52. A Beat Up
Adam Neira ,   Paris, France   (03.21.12)
This opinion peace is a beat up. EU Foreign Minister Ashton cares about all the people in the Middle East. She is not anti-Jewish. Whenever evil attacks like this happen some people displace their anger to the wrong targets and balance and perspective escapes them. We really are living in intersting times when people are having trouble working out right from wrong.
53. It died when it chose to invite muslum immigration.
Bunnie Meyer ,   Los Angeles, CA USA   (03.21.12)
54. unbelievable
european   (03.21.12)
israel's very existence depends on the good will and money of the u.s. and europe. so enough with empty, middle eastern hubris. don't bite and insult the hand that feeds you. you need to make more friends, not enemies. you really need to make more friends.
55. To: No. 54
Sarah B ,   U.S.A. / Israel   (03.21.12)
Israel is not an economic basket case; Europe, however, is very much on the skids. Moreover, stop priding yourself on a "good will" that does not exist. Europe is one giant Jewish cemetery. The only reason you haven't done the usual -- which is to say, blame the Jewish people for all your woes -- is because there are so few of us left in Europe. With "friends" like the Europeans, Israel doesn't need any enemies. Moreover, don't confuse Israeli national pride and self-sufficiency with "hubris." As a European, I realize that you over a millennia of practice to rely upon, but the day of the timid, self-effacing Jew is over. Get used to the idea; it isn't going to change.
56. With friends like these. who needs enemies?
Alex   (03.21.12)
Also with enemies from within like yourself who needs other enemies? I'm ashamed of you and your kind(small in number, thankfully)
57. Europe died a long time ago
Michael ,   Denmark   (03.21.12)
A great op-ed and nothing in it can be questioned. But Europe died a long time ago! We are only on life support right now and it doesn't look good.
58. @54 as tosee on jew history,they never learnt to make friend
Brain ,   EU   (03.21.12)
59. To 42: I beg to differ
Suomipoika ,   Finland   (03.21.12)
Ashton most clearly draw a parallel between killings in Toulouse, Norway and Gaza and that is absolutely a morally distorted opinion.
60. Ashton
eva goldschmidt ,   Heidelberg, Germany   (03.21.12)
Lady Ashton was chosen for her present position because of her incompetence. Nobody expected her to be such an embarrasment. She was a member of the British Communist Party and is prototypical for presentday European left-wing anti-Jewish sentiments. European Judeo-Christian moral will be recovered when European citizens are no more forced into a fake liberalism and tolerance and multiculturalism. They are considered to be politically incorrect by people like a certain Lady Ashton. Gold
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