France & Anti-Semitism
In the wake of France’s vote against Israeli settlements in Palestinian areas, on the UN Security Council Resolution 2334 (23 Dec. 2016) – Israel is “temporarily limiting” its diplomatic contacts with France and Netanyahu has urged the over 450,000 Jews living in France to leave and come to Israel.
Tough all 15 members, accept US voted against Israel, while US abstained from voting, but the fury against France is exceeding that for others & for good reason too. In spite of being the hub of revolutionary ideas, France has always had its share of anti-Semitism and the 21st century has seen an increase in violent attacks on Jews in France along with increasing verbal attacks.
The Dreyfus Affair is a symbolic case that brought French anti-Semitism to the surface. In Dec 1894, Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a young French artillery officer of Alsatian and Jewish descent was convicted with the treason. Later evidence was found that he was innocent, but high-ranking military officials suppressed the evidence and lengthened Dreyfus’ imprisonment.
This whole episode divided the whole French society into dreyfusards and anti-dreyfusards and spread hatred of Jews through all strata of society. So much so that Austro-Hungarian journalist Theodor Herzl, who had left Austria to live in France for her humanist image, was deeply moved by the Dreyfus Affair and the hatred and violence that accompanied it – and was "convinced of the need to resolve the Jewish question". He is the father of the Zionist Movement and in 1887; he convened the First Zionist Congress in Basel, which was the bases of the creation of a Jewish state in the Promised Land.
Today, with this vote, the smolders of anti-Semitism in France may have been fanned.
Israel is also weary of the up-coming Jan 15th, Middle East Peace Conference to be held in France, thought by Israel as Obama’s last chance to disgrace them. Israeli Defense Minister Lieberman criticized the conference, calling it a new "Dreyfus trial" and also urged French Jews to move to Israel.
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