Israel Attacks, Europe Divided
In what will undoubtedly greatly surprise most readers of this distinguished news and opinion website, it seems that Europe’s response to the Israeli ground offensive can be best described as “divided.”
France’s hawkish president Nicholas Sarkozy, who many expected to support Israel when he first came to power, has condemned Israel’s invasion of Gaza calling it a “dangerous military escalation” and saying, through the French Foreign Ministry, that he “condemns the Israeli ground offensive against Gaza as it condemns the continuation of rocket firing.”
The president of the European Union, the Czech Republic, on the other hand, responded with full support for Israel. “At the moment, from the perspective of the last days, we understand this step as a defensive, not offensive, action,” Czech EU presidency spokesman Jiri Potuznik said.
The British, meanwhile, did not go so far as to publicly condemn Israel’s ground offensive in the same rather blunt words of France, but they did make clear that they do not agree with the opinion of the EU’s leader either. “It is not the position of the British government,” a British government source said about the statement of the Czech Republic.
As usual, Europe weakens its own standing in the world considerably by failing to coordinate a common response to an international crisis. All countries involved should have contacted each other and drafted some kind of compromise position.
And so, Europe once again bungles an opportunity to play the lead role in a major international crisis. Well done people, well done.
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My fellow Jews living in the United States and the rest of the World your duty is first towards Israel, especially in troubled times. Please follow the path of Mayor Michael Bloomberg who is in Israel to help and Senator Joe Lieberman who will do anything for Israel.