Fight French anti-Semites

Hamas may be more isolated than ever, but the people of Gaza are not. Even if the world has grown tired of the Middle East conflict, the communities of Muslims around the globe have not. And they have been joined by left-wing groups and representatives of Green parties, who have not decided whether they are more pro-Palestinian or more anti-Israel. This reality is nothing new. Already during the Second Intifada, we saw how violence in our region can spread abroad. And who pays the price? Diaspora Jewish communities.

But what took place on Saturday in Paris was on a whole other level. Thousands of protesters, mostly the children of Muslim immigrants who live in the 18th arrondissement in eastern Paris, took to the streets for a pro-Palestinian demonstration laced with Israel hatred. The chants were not flattering, with many of them even being anti-Semitic. In France, there is a law against incitement to racial hatred. There were many violators of this law at Saturday's demonstration. "Death to Jews," demonstrators chanted. Not Israelis. Jews.

At almost the same time, several dozen members of the Parisian Jewish community, which is almost blindly supportive of Israel, held a pro-Israel event at a synagogue on Rue de la Roquette. How symbolic. The French word "roquette" also means rocket.

Some of the pro-Palestinian demonstrators arrived at the synagogue and violence ensued. Paris 2014 suddenly seemed like Paris 1940, with the role of the fascists being played by an Muslim mob. While the incident was not unexpected, it was serious.

"It is very grave when a synagogue is attacked, and even more so when Muslims attack a synagogue full of worshippers, with almost no security forces at the scene," Marc, a French Jewish public official, told me. He was furious not only at the violent demonstrators, but also French security forces. Jewish guards, along with just a few French police personnel, had to fight to defend the synagogue. Marc was also angry at French media outlets, which for a week have covered every single occurrence in Gaza but did not properly cover the incident at the Paris synagogue. "A shame," he said.

However, French President Francois Hollande and Prime Minister Manuel Valls did strongly condemn the synagogue incident, and rightly so. Just a few days ago, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius wrote an article titled "France Is Not an Anti-Semitic Nation." This is true, but there are anti-Semites in France. And there needs to be a vigorous fight against them.

French Jews are patriotic. I know this well. I lived in Paris as a journalist for more than 16 years. I remember Jews bringing French flags to pro-Israel rallies, while at the same time Muslims would boo during the French national anthem at soccer games. This must be noted, particularly given that Monday was Bastille Day.

"When synagogues start acting like embassies, one cannot be surprised to see them attacked in the same way," Pierre Minnaert, a Green politician, tweeted on Saturday after a Molotov cocktail was thrown at a synagogue in the Paris suburb of Aulnay-sous-Bois.

If a French public official can write something like this, what behavior can be expected from a mob-

טעינו? נתקן! אם מצאתם טעות בכתבה, נשמח שתשתפו אותנו