"Now they will hate us even more," is a phrase that could often be heard in Israel after it began military action in the Gaza Strip following the massacre of Israelis by Hamas on October 7.
And indeed, as time goes on, in front of the terrible scenes from Gaza, the thousands of Palestinian civilians who died, the humanitarian disaster, the devastating consequences of Israeli attacks from the air and from the ground in the world, the pale image of the slaughter and kidnapping of Jews, which are still omnipresent in Israel.
Rallies in support of Palestinians demanding that Israel immediately stop "killing innocent people" are taking place around the world. In London, the other day, around 300.000 people, in the United States, the tragedy in the Middle East is turning into a political weapon in the confrontation between Republicans and Democrats ahead of the presidential elections, protests against the Israeli invasion of Gaza and for the Palestinians were held in Belgrade, Podgorica and Sarajevo.
In one month, 1250 anti-Semitic attacks
As anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrations spread, so does anti-Semitism in the world. Although Hamas terrorists killed at least 7 French citizens on October 40, over 1250 anti-Semitic attacks have been recorded in France since then, three times more than in 2022, writes the German "Spiegel".
The media reports statements by French Jews, who number around 400.000, that they live in fear for their own safety. That's why over 100.000 people took to the streets in Paris on Sunday to protest against anti-Semitism. The slogan read: "Against anti-Semitism, for the Republic."
The presence of Marine Le Pen
Notable was the presence of right-wing icon Marine Le Pen, daughter of Holocaust denier Jean-Marie Le Pen, and the absence of French President Emmanuel Macron. According to public opinion polls, Marine Le Pen is currently the most popular politician in the country.
France March Against Antisemitism"Support for fellow Jews": Marine Le Pen / Photo: AP Photo/Christophe Ena
At the protest, she smiled a lot and spoke little. She said she was there to oppose anti-Semitism, to "support fellow Jews and resist fundamentalism." She didn't have to say more, writes "Spiegel". Her goal is to be fully established among moderate conservative voters by the 2027 presidential elections, and she knows that she will never be able to count on the votes of French Arabs.
Macron's absence
Many Jewish organizations are disappointed by Macron's absence from the streets of Paris. Reasoning: He is afraid of causing riots in the suburbs of major cities where Muslim settlers live, lest he be accused of supporting Israel's war in the Gaza Strip. Former French presidents Francois Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy joined this protest against anti-Semitism.
While tensions in French society and the world are growing, Macron is trying to balance: one day he demands that Israel immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, the next he emphasizes the Israelis' right to "self-defense".
In this spirit, he was not at the protest on Sunday like his main rival Le Pen, but that is why he wrote an open letter published by "Parisien" in which he writes that "the France in which our Jewish fellow citizens are afraid is not France". The new war in the Middle East a month after the "black Sabbath", as the Jews call the attack by Hamas on Saturday, October 7, it entered the internal politics of countries around the world. Every day of Israel's uncompromising military actions in the Gaza Strip, the pressure on Tel Aviv grows, and the resolution of the Palestinian issue gains importance.
AI/BBC/Spiegel
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