The carnage in Norway rightly dominated the week’s news, with Anders Behring Breivik accused of a monstrous murder spree that defies comprehension.
We extend our deepest condolences to the families of the victims and to all the Norwegian people.
With the Oslo bombing and shootings on Utoya Island, Breivik is suspected of slaughtering 68 innocent people, most of them teenagers attending a retreat run by the ruling Labor Party. This would appear to be the handiwork of a meticulous madman.
Unfortunately, the bloody crime has taken on disturbing dimensions beyond the body count.
Breivik’s extreme nationalistic beliefs are documented in a 1,500-page manifesto. Among other things, those beliefs seem to incorporate a loathing of Islam and admiration for Israel.
In light of this, Jewish communities in Norway and around the world may need to prepare for potential blowback.
It is unfortunate that this alleged killer linked Islamophobia with Israel. Anti-Israel and anti-Jewish sentiment has long run strong in Norway, somewhat mirroring the consistent and growing right-wing extremism seen in many European nations.
Moreover, the day before the killings, the teens on Utoya Island had gathered for a workshop on promoting BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel).
Add it all up and it is possible that some people will blur the lines between Breivik’s ravings and a principled pro-Israel stand.
It should be crystal clear that the Israel in Breivik’s diseased mind, which he sees as some sort of bulwark against multiculturalism, is not the real Israel. Multicultural Israel boasts a sizeable Muslim population, which enjoys equal rights of citizenship alongside Jews.
That’s not to suggest Israel faces no internal problems. Obviously, in as diverse a society as Israel, tensions do exist, especially when factoring in the ongoing conflict with the Palestinians and neighboring Arab countries.
Yet within Israel, there is no epic clash of civilizations — and certainly not the kind of anti-Arab uprising Breivik hoped to start. We are confident most Israelis would strongly reject Breivik’s twisted views and his avowed reverence for Israel.
This truth won’t stop the demonizers. Throughout Norwegian society, anti-Israel views have long held sway. With anti-Semitic acts and statements commonplace in that country, some Norwegian Jews have expressed fears of a backlash.
We hope that won’t happen, but no matter what, we can say categorically that despite his repugnant claims, Breivik and his ilk are no friends of Israel or the Jewish people.
All
07/28/2011 at 10:56 AM
Israel is a country in which an Arab family had to sue to the Israeli high court to get the right to buy land in Katzir, which was a Jewish only town.
Israel is a country in which Tzipi Livni expressed support in expelling a portion of the Arab population during the Palestinian peace talks, and she’s considered “far left” in Israel.
This is nation in which “Marriage to an Arab is national treason”, that’s what ynet news reported that over 1/2 of the Israeli population believes, and Jewish people constitute 80% of the population, it at least 70% of the Jewish people agreeing.
This is a nation that BEGAN the Palestinian conflict by demanding partition, which is nothing more than a fancy word for segregation from the native Arab population of the land, and has carried on a 60+ year civil war during the entire time.
Golly gee whiz, why would Israel be linked to “Islamophobia”?
Israel is a nation that’s fostered fear of Islam for over a 1/2 century.
Login to reply to this comment or post your own