"As a Catholic, as an Englishman, as a civilised human being, I feel a
profound sense of responsibility towards the Jewish people as a whole,
but towards my Jewish compatriots in particular. Preserving the Jewish
presence in our midst is as much a solemn duty for our generation as it
was for our parents and grandparents, who fought to defeat the Nazis."
 |
The Belgian politician Karel De Gucht
claimed Jews have a “belief that they
are right” (photo: European Union) |
Anti-Semitism
is a very ancient and a thoroughly modern phenomenon: it was as common
among ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans as it is among their
present-day successor states. It constantly mutates: Christian
anti-Judaism became right-wing anti-Semitism and now left-wing
anti-Zionism. Those who wish to resist and if possible destroy its roots
must also adapt to the moving target.
Take, for example, the
case of Karel De Gucht. He is a leading Belgian liberal politician, who
served as foreign minister and then as a European Union commissioner
from 2009 to 2014, responsible for aid and trade. Two of the Belgian
prime ministers under whom he served, Guy Verhofstadt and Herman Van
Rompuy, also became high EU officials and it is fair to assume that De
Gucht’s outlook is typical of the European political elite.
Yet
in 2010, this supposedly liberal representative of this supposedly
liberal union of supposedly liberal nations told Belgian radio: “Don’t
underestimate the opinion . . . of the average Jew outside Israel. There
is indeed a belief — it’s difficult to describe it otherwise — among
most Jews that they are right. And a belief is something that’s
difficult to counter with rational arguments. And it’s not so much
whether these are religious Jews or not. Lay Jews also share the same
belief that they are right. So it is not easy to have, even with
moderate Jews, a rational discussion about what is actually happening in
the Middle East.” Washington was controlled by Jews, De Gucht declared,
even in the Obama era: “Do not underestimate the Jewish lobby on
Capitol Hill. That is the best organised lobby, you shouldn’t
underestimate the grip it has on American politics — no matter whether
it’s Republicans or Democrats.”
It is revealing that De Gucht not
only got away with this public outburst, but that it is not even
mentioned in his Wikipedia entry under the heading “Controversies”. Such
views are indeed seen as uncontroversial by many Europeans who consider
themselves liberal. To utter them in public is a breach of diplomatic
etiquette, but certainly not a resigning matter, and De Gucht in fact
faced no serious consequences. At a public event just after the De Gucht
incident
I asked Peter Mandelson, a former EU commissioner who happens
to be Jewish on his father’s side, what he thought about it. Lord
Mandelson looked uncomfortable with the question and gave a
non-committal reply, but later in private he made it clear that he was
indeed disgusted by De Gucht’s conduct. Should the commissioner resign?
“That is for him to decide,” was the reply. The fact that De Gucht came
under no pressure to resign suggests that his brand of “soft”
anti-Semitism is ubiquitous in Continental corridors of power.
[Note: it is perfectly acceptable in Belgium for a schoolteacher, Pierre Piccinin, to complain of the "Zionist mafia" (he also worked for the European School) or for someone like Abu Jahjah to be a columnist at one of the most respected Flemish newspapers (De Standaard) and a frequent guest at TV and radio programmes.]
Yet
the greatest danger to Jews today comes from a different quarter.
Anti-Semitism has mutated again and is now a particular problem among
Muslim communities in Western Europe. According to the study by Günther
Jikeli, “Antisemitic Attitudes among Muslims in Europe”, Muslims show
consistently higher levels of anti-Semitism than the general population
in every country that has been surveyed. In the UK, for example, a Pew
survey in 2006 showed that 46 per cent of the Muslim population had an
unfavourable view of Jews compared to 7 per cent of the population as a
whole. A 2008 survey comparing Christians and Muslims found that in
Austria — historically one of the most anti-Semitic countries in Europe —
10.7 per cent of Christians agreed with the statement: “Jews cannot be
trusted.” Among Muslims, the figure was 64.1 per cent. [...]
Because the attempt to exterminate the
whole Jewish people took place in Europe, the post-war nations of our
continent made a collective vow never to allow such a thing to happen
again. Yet today, 70 years later, anti-Semitism has redoubled its
strength and has returned to Europe with a vengeance. Jews are leaving
in record numbers. Governments are tacitly acquiescing in this silent
exodus by making life more difficult for Jews — restricting kosher
slaughter or circumcision, for example — and by failing to take adequate
steps to ensure their security. Jewish Europe is vanishing before our
eyes, as the Dia-spora goes into reverse.
Does all this matter?
As a Catholic, as an Englishman, as a civilised human being, I feel a
profound sense of responsibility towards the Jewish people as a whole,
but towards my Jewish compatriots in particular. Preserving the Jewish
presence in our midst is as much a solemn duty for our generation as it
was for our parents and grandparents, who fought to defeat the Nazis. As
the last survivors of the Holocaust and the last exiles and émigrés
pass away, we must take over their role as witnesses to the truth and
guardians of that moral obligation. Never again should Jews have to live
in fear among us. Never again should Jews feel that their loyalty is
distrusted. Never again should they lack a state that is theirs, living
in peace and security within recognised borders. Britain’s commitment to
defend Israel’s right, not merely to exist, but to flourish, should be
especially strong: it was, after all, the Balfour Declaration that
brought the Jewish homeland back to life. Britain did not cover itself
with glory during the Mandate period, but we do have a chance to redeem
ourselves today by standing up for Israel at the UN and other
international bodies, as our Anglophone cousins in Canada, Australia and
the United States generally do. When Israel responded to attacks from
Gaza last year by destroying the ability of Hamas to launch missiles and
use tunnels to infiltrate Israel, the Prime Minister refused to join in
the chorus of condemnation. Like Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair,
David Cameron has proved himself a friend of Israel. If only the rest of
Europe could say the same.
“Never again” must be our watchword.
Never again shall we betray the people whom St John Paul — the Polish
Pope and righteous gentile who himself saved Edith Zierer, a Jewish
concentration camp survivor — called our “elder brothers”.
