Disturbing poll

Hi all,

There's been a poll carried out in the 15 countries of the European Union asking what countries represent the biggest threat for world peace.

3 countries end up equal in 2nd place : Noth Korea, Iran and the US. (No real surprise there)

The surprise came with first place : Israel (59%).

This result annoyed a lot of people in Israel, that say that it reveals a (re)rise of antisemitism in Europe... And now European leaders are bashing the poll, denying their own people's opinion.

Am I wrong by thinking that antisemitism is anti-jew, not anti-Israeli?

A lot of people in Europe seperate religion from politics. This poll shows that europeans are worried with Ariel Sharon's way of dealing with things.
Nothing else.

Ponrauil

yes, anti-semitism is jewish related, however most of Israel are jewish

I dont think Israel are a threat to world peace, only to palestine. However, lets put it this way, with Israel's military technology (which people wrongly assume is just supplied by America) if there was ever a real war in the middle east I would hope to hell we are on Israels side

I am shocked that people consider America a threat to world peace. Surely they are a super power that uses its force for good.

It decides who can and cannot have nuclear weapons.

It kindly detains people from the war against terror in Afghanistan in 5 star accommodation in Cuba, some of whom may or may not be guilty, and gives them no access to anyone whatsoever, and no chance to legally challenge the charges against them (which aren't made known to them). It even has seperate 'accommodation' for the children, so they aren't mixed up with the adults. How thoughtful.

It pushes for an international court. See, it can't be bad. Then it declares that Americans be immune from its reach.

It helpfully pointed out that Iraq violated the Geneva Convention regarding POW's, forgetting that the US itself broke articles 13,17,18,22,26,28,34,38,41,70,71,72 and 118 of the third convention at the 5 star Guantanamo plaza hotel in Cuba.

It spends more than $300,000,000,000 each year on its military, so it can protect the world more effectively. How kind.

It drops a second nuclear bomb on a city when the first one wasn't even necessary.

It's leaders are among the richest people in the country.

Oh wait, maybe the US should be number one on the list.

Israel is a threat, but I agree with KRB, the US should be number one.

As for Israel, I think the Palestinians should be counted as the same bunch. Israel isn't so much fighting against the world but Palestinians. Though, if the people of Palestine were ever to move to Europe, I'm pretty sure the Israelis would be all over EU... I don't think the poll shows any anti-semitism, I think Europe learned a lesson about 58 years ago.


Ice

you mean Germany surely..?

No, I mean Europe. There were many things other countries could have done to prevent the nazis but they all chose to ignore Hitlers politics and maintain diplomatic contacts with him. If Europeans would've done something sooner, I believe WWII could've been avoided, if not altogether, then at least to some degree.

Ice

indeed

theres a lot of tension between the line of israeli/jew...

my essay due in next week is to do with it, and my lecturer has been branded and anti semitist because of his research and findings and its blatantly not the case... its just that he finds more in favour of palestinian rights to some things

(hannah whitelams dad if you believe it goose)

when ive done the essay i might post relevant quotes.
sara

i read that in the guardian yesterday and was kind of disgusted by the guy who started spouting on about anti semitism.

people here are sayign the US is a bigger threat. does that make you're opinions anti christian? does it **** apart from the fact the whole reason Israel and palestine is fighting is religion.

There was a quote from another Israeli minister that went somethign like "let#'s not jump behind the old excuse of anti semitism as we always do, these people feel that way for a reason and maybe we should start looking at the reasons and not using defence mechanisms.

which is true for alot of people and countries not just israel. look at why people hold an opinion of u don't just take it as an attack on their behalf.

I agree that palestinians have their share of responsibility in the conflict. But it comes mostly from terrorists that have gone out of control of palestinian leaders, and that are probably helped by Iran or Syria. It doesn't come directly from the leaders, ad it does in Israel. Palestinians are used as an instrument (target or shield) from both sides.

Arabic countries (Iran, Irak, Syria, Egypt...) in that region find their union in the fight against Israel. If this fight should stop, they'd go back fighting each other as they did for centuries.

No other country can understand the will of the palestinian people to have an official homeland better than Israel, as they were in the same situation after WW2.

I'm really tired of paranoids hiding behind their religion (Bush, Ben Laden, Sharon) to satisfy their material goals whatever the human cost. The irony is that it's the same God... only different ways of worship.

Religion has become such a powerfull tool for controling the masses when it should be a private and personal matter.

Ponrauil