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Source: http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110004310
The Inextricable Link between Anti-Semitism and Anti-Americanism
(Wall Street Journal) Natan Sharansky - •Why was there no drop in the level of anti-Jewish incitement in the region after the inception of the Oslo peace process? To the degree that Oslo had succeeded in bringing about a real reconciliation with Israel or in facilitating the spread of political freedom, it would have frustrated the overarching aim of eradicating the Jewish "evil" from the heart of the Middle East and preserving the autocratic power of the Arab regimes. •At Madrid and then at Oslo, Israel had agreed, first reluctantly and later with self-induced optimism, to conform to the ascendant ethos of international politics. Extending its hand to a terrorist organization still committed to its destruction, Israel agreed to the establishment of a dictatorial and repressive regime on its very doorstep, sustaining its commitment to the so-called peace process no matter how many innocent Jews were killed and wounded in its fraudulent name. •In the summer of 2000, at Camp David, Ehud Barak offered the Palestinians nearly everything their leadership was thought to be demanding. The offer was summarily rejected, Arafat started his "uprising," Israel undertook to defend itself - and Europe ceased to applaud. Had not Israel taken every last step for peace? But it was the world's Jew, by refusing to accept its share of blame for the "cycle of violence," that was out of line. •Americans, too, have had numerous opportunities to see their nation in the dock of world opinion over recent years for the crime of rejecting the values of the so-called international community. Anti-Americanism in the Islamic world and anti-Americanism in Europe are in fact linked, and both bear an uncanny resemblance to anti-Semitism.