[American Thinker] Richard Baehr - Why is Israel viewed so differently in Europe than in the U.S.? Prior to the Six-Day War in 1967, it was France which was Israel's primary military supplier. In the War of Independence in 1948-49, it was arms smuggled from Czechoslovakia that enabled the Zionists to fight on. Most European nations, including some Soviet satellites, supported the partition resolution in the General Assembly in November 1947. European nations supported Israel at the UN through the late 1960s and in some cases well beyond then. Clearly, some of this support was a reflection of European guilt over the murder of six million Jews in their midst. Today, that residue of sympathy for the plucky underdog nation of Israel has disappeared. Western Europeans want to believe that all international disputes can be resolved amicably, or as they call it, diplomatically, and multilaterally. One explanation for this is that Europe is militarily and spiritually weak and willing to appease those who might threaten the European life style. At least 20 million Muslims now live in Western Europe. According to Middle East scholar Bernard Lewis: given the comparative birth rates (white Europeans very low, Muslims very high) and immigration levels, soon enough Europe will be Muslim. The numbers provide important background to explain Europe's problems with Israel.
2007-01-15 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive