The echo of Palestine?

The number of attacks on Jews and Jewish-owned businesses has recently increased lately in France. The synagogue in Marseilles was set ablaze on Sunday. Police reported that there was noone wounded, but the fire destroyed books and religious scrolls stored in the synagogue.

The synagogues in Lyons and Strasbourg were also attacked. A Jew-owned shop was shot up in Toulouse, and a Jewish couple was ambushed in another town; the woman was hospitalized as a result.

These attacks on Jews show that they have been planned and organized before, the representatives of the Jewish society claim. The Israeli government announced that anti-Semitism in France was growing, but neither the French president nor the prime minister acknowledge it, although they do condemn the acts of violence.

Maybe this is true, and maybe the majority of the French people condemn the acts of terrorism. However, who is behind the violence? The answer is not hard to find. There is a large Muslim community living in France: Mostly North Africans. Many come from Middle Eastern countries such as Lebanon, so the source of aggression is evident, especially in light of the new aggravation of the Arab-Israel conflict.

There are also a lot of organizations of the far-right, including Jean-Marie Le Pen's National Front. Le Pen’s organization is not likely to be involved in those attacks, since Le Pen is doing his best to look like a civilized politician. Whoever conducted these acts of violence, there can be one thing said for sure: the smallest conflict in Palestine affects not only the security of Israeli citizens, but also the Jews of other countries. So the Arab-Israeli conflict takes place far beyond the borders of the Middle East; it has become an international problem.

Vasily Bubnov PRAVDA.Ru

Translated by Dmitry Sudakov