If The European Street Is Louder Than The Arab Street--THAT'S Anti-Semitism

Mark Steyn gives a rundown of the various protests against Israel's Operation Cast Lead, which is itself, after all, in response to the ongoing firing of rockets into Israel by Hamas. However, as Steyn notes, this is more than mere protests and even goes beyond abusive language.

The Wall Street Journal summarizes the nature of these protests against Jews in Europe:

Jews around Europe are increasingly under attack since Israel decided two weeks ago to defend itself after years of rocket fire at its civilian population. There have been arson attempts on synagogues in Britain, Belgium and Germany. Police last week arrested Muslim protesters who wanted to enter the Jewish quarter in Antwerp. Several Danish schools with large Muslim student bodies say they won't enroll Jewish kids because they can't guarantee the children's safety. In France, a group of teenagers attacked a 14-year-old girl last week, calling her "dirty Jew" while kicking her.

...In Amsterdam, Socialist lawmaker Harry van Bommel and Greta Duisenberg, widow of the first European Central Bank president, marched at the front of one such "peace" demonstration. They didn't join in the background chorus calling for another Holocaust. Instead, they chanted, "Intifada, Intifada, Free Palestine." Mr. Van Bommel later insisted this wasn't a call for Jewish blood but for "civil disobedience" -- a laughable defense given that terrorists during the last intifada murdered more than 1,000 Israelis.

Along the way, some distinctions are being blurred while others are being artificially created.

An example of the former:

In what may have been a Freudian recognition of the changing face of Europe, CNN two weeks ago used footage of anti-Israeli protesters in London in a report about the growing anger in the "Arab and Muslim world."

It's not every day that images of protests in Europe are interchangeable with protests from the Arab Street.

An example of the latter--after an attack on a synagogue in Toulouse, by crashing a burning car into a gate, Sarkozy reacted:

His country "will not tolerate international tensions mutating into intercommunity violence," he warned, suggesting that the violence in France comes not only from French Muslims but Jews as well.

As if Jewish attacks on Moslems was as commonplace as the burning of cars in France by Muslims. 

More to the point, Daniel Schwammenthal--who wrote the article in The Wall Street Journal--makes an interesting point: although these protests are a response to Israel's operation in Gaza, the war with Hamas is not the actual cause:

The rage against the Jews that is exploding in Europe has been carefully nurtured; it is not spontaneous sympathy for fellow Muslims in Gaza. How else to explain the silence when Muslims in other conflicts, from Darfur to Chechnya, are being killed?

To explain his point, Schwammenthal points out the blinders the media wears, ignoring not only the depth of anti-Semitic propaganda that is spewed in the Palestinian territories and in the Arab world in general. Likwise, the media ignores the Hamas charter which calls for the destruction of Israel. Thus, the anti-Semitism predisposes the Muslims in Europe to attack Jews and fuels the Mideast conflict, while the rejection of Israel's right to exist is the driving force behind their attacks.

The question: is the anti-Semitism of the protesters related to their anti-Zionism?

Survey says...yes!

A 2006 study in the Journal of Conflict Resolution based on the survey in 10 European countries suggests otherwise. Yale University's Edward H. Kaplan and Charles A. Small found "that anti-Israel sentiment consistently predicts the probability that an individual is anti-Semitic, with the likelihood of measured anti-Semitism increasing with the extent of anti-Israel sentiment observed."

But with all of that, considering the virulent anti-Semitism exhibited in these rallies throughout Europe, it is worth noting where these kinds of angry anti-Israel rallies are lacking.

According to an article in Policy Watch:

Most analyses of the Arab reaction to the Gaza Strip conflict have generally emphasized either widespread popular sympathy for Palestinian suffering and revulsion at Israel's tactics, or political divisions about how to respond. Although both points are accurate, two important developments so far have been overlooked: only a handful of major street protests have occurred, and almost no tangible support for Hamas has materialized.

...in another striking contrast with earlier regional conflicts, including the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq and the 2006 Lebanon war, large public demonstrations have so far failed to materialize in most Arab countries. [emphasis added]

Apparently the Arab Street has managed to do something that the civilized West has failed to do. The Arab Street has drawn a distinction between the suffering of the Palestinian Gazans on the one hand, and the Hamas leadership on the other:

In terms of official reaction:

Moreover, even after two weeks of fighting in Gaza, Arab officials are showing remarkably little support for Hamas, even as they express strong outrage at Israeli behavior and sympathy for Gaza's civilians.

In terms of financial aid:

Early in the crisis, foreign ministers from the Arab League pledged approximately $35 million in humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza. Since then, the Arab media is reporting donation drives and shipments of food and medicine to Gaza from various countries, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Kuwait.

Credible public reports, however, indicate that substantial new contributions to Hamas are conspicuously absent.

In terms of public demonstrations:

The best available anecdotal evidence suggests there is a large perceptual gap between most Arab governments, who privately pin the blame for this crisis largely on Hamas, and Arab public and elite opinion, which mostly holds Israel responsible. Nevertheless, in another striking contrast with earlier regional conflicts, including the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq and the 2006 Lebanon war, large public demonstrations have so far failed to materialize in most Arab countries.

In the Arab media:

Coverage by al-Jazeera, still the most popular satellite television station in the region, has characteristically highlighted Arab suffering and civilian casualties during this crisis, but has uncharacteristically been reticent about providing a platform for Hamas spokesmen.

The bottom line:

Arab anguish over the tragic situation in Gaza is very real. Yet contrary to common perception, no evidence exists that this situation is "radicalizing" or "destabilizing" the region, or even strengthening Hamas politically. The reality, in fact, is quite the opposite. So far, Arab reactions suggest that this crisis could provide real opportunity, particularly if the legitimate humanitarian concerns are addressed, to help achieve an important U.S. objective in the quest for Arab-Israeli peace: to weaken, isolate, and ultimately marginalize Hamas, unless it unexpectedly proves willing to sue for peace.

How did the Arab Street get so smart?
How did the left wing get so stupid?

Crossposted on Soccer Dad

Technorati Tag: Israel and Gaza and Hamas and Operation Cast Lead.