By Nicola Smith - 23rd November 2003
Europeans are inherently anti-Semitic and their leaders are guilty of pushing a biased policy in the Middle East, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has told EUpolitix.com.
“What we are facing in Europe is an anti-Semitism that has always existed and it really is not a new phenomenon,” he argues in response to an EU poll that rated Israel above Iran and North Korea as a threat to world peace.
Sharon throws out the distinction between anti-Semitic beliefs and legitimate criticism of Israel’s policies in the Middle East.
“Today there is no separation. We are talking about collective anti-Semitism. The state of Israel is a Jewish state and the attitude towards Israel runs accordingly.”
“I would say, in my opinion, EU governments are not doing enough to tackle anti-Semitism,” he counters.
Israel has recently stepped up the pressure on EU governments to do more, calling for a joint EU-Israel Council to be set up to tackle the problem.
Sharon strongly believes that Europe’s own biased policies hamper its role in the Middle East peace process.
The EU has made no secret of its strong opposition to Israel’s construction of a “security fence” which has cut off many Palestinians from vital social services, family members and employment.
Israel argues that the fence is vital to protect its citizens from devastating suicide bomb attacks.
Tension has also risen over Israel’s hard-line policy not to talk to any senior political figures who have contact with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
However, Sharon counters that “Europe could have played a stronger and central role if it had conducted a more balanced policy in the Middle East.”
“The state of the Israel cannot afford to deposit its destiny in the hands of the Europeans who are known for their unbalanced policy,” Sharon argues.
But he praises Italy for fighting against the tide of negative opinion in Europe and for trying to redress the balance.
“Today during the Italian presidency we can say that Europe’s policy is balanced,” he stresses.
Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi has in the past won the hearts of the Israeli government by publicly lobbying for Israel’s future membership of the European Union.
Sharon later makes the extraordinary claim that the growth of the Muslim community is also a threat to Jews living in Europe.
“Since there is an ever strengthening Muslim presence in Europe, it certainly endangers the life of Jewish people.”
“Of course, the sheer fact that there are a huge amount of Muslims, approximately 17 million in the EU, this issue has also turned into a political matter.”
Sharon challenges the EU not to be driven by economic interests when tackling the threat of Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
“One must be careful. Europe has an economic interest in Iran. We have to warn and emphasize that the inspection must be genuine.”
“Our call to Europe is clear. We must make a tie between economic relations with Iran, and the country’s nuclear development. One must question these relations as long as Iran fails to comply.”
Israel has joined the United States in pushing for tougher sanctions against Iran over its concealment of parts of its nuclear programme.
Both countries are highly sceptical of Iran’s insistence that its nuclear capabilities are solely for civilian purposes, accusing Tehran of being in breach of international obligations.
For the full transcript of the EUpolitix.com interview with Ariel Sharon, click on the 'further reading' link, right.
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