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Last update - 18:07 29/01/2007
Marked rise in attacks on Jews in Europe over the past year
By Amiram Barkat, Haaretz Correspondent

Last year saw a substantial rise in the number of anti-Semitic incidents in Germany, Austria and the Scandinavian countries, according to the Global Forum Against Anti-Semitism.

In an annual press conference, the forum explained that 2006 was characterized by escalation in the number and violent nature of attacks on Jews, proliferation of Holocaust denial and increased comparison of Israel to the Nazi regime.

The Global Forum - a joint effort of the Jewish Agency, the Foreign Ministry and the Prime Minister's Office - counted 360 anti-Semitic incidents in France in 2006, compared to 300 in 2005. In the United Kingdom, the report listed a yearly decrease from 321 incidents in 2005 to 312 incidents in 2006. Russia recorded 300 incidents in 2006 compared to 250 the preceding year, and Austria saw a jump from 50 incidents to 83 last year. The Scandinavian countries saw 53 incidents in 2006, substantially more than the previous year's 35. The report cited a 60-percent rise in incidents in the Berlin area, although it did not include figures for all of Germany.
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Spokesmen for the forum emphasized on Sunday the many difficulties in classifying and reporting anti-Semitic incidents that affect the accuracy of the figures, which are primarily valuable as indicators of trends in the countries examined.

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said on Sunday that national leaders abroad must understand that anti-Semitism is first and foremost their own problem.

Jewish Agency chair Zeev Bielski commented that, "Anti-Semitic phenomena in Europe are very grave and countries like France and England are struggling to handle them."

January 2006 brought the shocking murder of French Jew Ilan Halimi. Bielski said Halimi's mother has recently decided to bring her son's remains to Israel for interment on the first anniversary of his death, next Friday in Jerusalem.

"There is no doubt the recent Lebanon war and the Qana incident led to the most severe incidents in the past decade," said Jewish Agency official Amos Hermon.

The gravest incident related to the war was the shooting at the Jewish Federation Building in Seattle, Washington last July, when staffer Pamela Waechter was killed and three other people were critically wounded.

The war engendered a wave of criticism in which Israel's deeds were compared to those of Nazi Germany. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez claimed last August that Israeli aggression in Lebanon was "reminiscent of Hitler's fascist manner."

An editorial cartoon in a Norwegian newspaper showed Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as the sadistic SS officer depicted in the movie "Schindler's List." Hermon noted that Norwegian author Jostein Gaarder included elements of historical Christian anti-Semitism in his book "God's Chosen People," including statements such as, "Don't worry, Israel will go to exile again," and, "We laugh at the idea that God chose one people ... gave them stupid stone tablets and a license to kill."

Other serious incidents in 2006 included the stabbing of synagogue-goers at the Chabad Center in Moscow in January. In a September shooting attack on an Oslo synagogue, no one was injured. The attackers were Islamic extremists who were aided by the extreme right; they had also planned to kidnap the Israeli ambassador, Miriam Shomrat.

Various reports were published in European nations during the year revealing the scope and severity of anti-Semitism. A British parliamentary commission determined that Islamists and the radical left were responsible for increased anti-Semitism in the country. Research published in Germany indicated widespread use of anti-Semitic expressions in schools, primarily by Muslim students. Research in the Ukraine found that about a third of the country's citizens had negative opinions of Jews.

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  1.   What about Anti-Palestinian `incidents` ?? 02:50  |  Ian 29/01/07
  2.   who cares 03:00  |  oleh chadash 29/01/07
  3.   IAN How many Pal initiated anti Jewish incidents since 1920`s 03:06  |  PETER SM 29/01/07
  4.   What about Anti-Palestinian `incidents` ?? 03:18  |  Bruce 29/01/07
  5.   TO IAN 03:20  |  FERCHEJA 29/01/07
  6.   JOIN JDL OR MAKE THE MOVE TO ISRAEL 03:23  |  Meir Weinstein 29/01/07
  7.   To Ian 03:36  |  Persian kitty 29/01/07
  8.   Extension 03:46  |  Edifice 29/01/07
  9.   #2 04:18  |  From the Moon 29/01/07
  10.   Please tell the truth and no more 04:18  |  Yankelowitz (angry) 29/01/07
  11.   Also in 2006, Israeli forces kille 742 Palestinians, injured 04:19  |  Apartheid 29/01/07
  12.   To # 4 You are the ignorant ! 04:25  |  Yankelowitz 29/01/07
  13.   a weakened Israel places ALL Jews into pre-Israel danger ! 04:52  |  jungle boy 29/01/07
  14.   Thank you BBC & Orla Guerin 05:02  |  Dr Dave 29/01/07
  15.   Recent Personal Experience 05:04  |  Shimon 29/01/07
  16.   Attacks on European Jews will continue and rise further 05:12  |  Uzi 29/01/07
  17.   This article = Flypaper for Antisemites 05:23  |  Michigan 29/01/07
  18.   A great shame 05:24  |  Mark Lincoln 29/01/07
  19.   #10, Apartheid, if Arabs wanted peace they`d be alive 05:25  |  David 29/01/07
  20.   Apartheid #10 05:36  |  Bruce 29/01/07
  21.   Methuen 05:43  |  Brad 29/01/07
  22.   Yankel (11) There is a problem with your solution 05:48  |  Brad 29/01/07
  23.   To #6 06:30  |  Brian 29/01/07
  24.   HELP! 06:35  |  Harry D 29/01/07
  25.   Zionist Israel is responsible for this. 06:36  |  Progressive Jew 29/01/07
  26.   # 1 Ian @ Toronto / Canada / go see a psycho , you need help 06:36  |  Joseph E . 29/01/07
  27.   I do not believe it 06:37  |  Marilyn 29/01/07
  28.   Response to Mark Lincoln #13 06:37  |  Harry D 29/01/07
  29.   Dr Dave the prat in NYC 06:41  |  Marilyn 29/01/07
  30.   To The Complete Idiot #8 06:45  |  Harry D 29/01/07
  31.   The new anti-semitism is a leftist phenomenon 06:50  |  Marwan مروان خوري 29/01/07
  32.   Re# 16- I AM OFFENDED THAT YOU ARE `OFFENDED` 07:12  |  Meir Weinstein 29/01/07
  33.   Progressive Jew - Finally We Found One 07:53  |  Progressive Arab 29/01/07
  34.   JDL or Israel; 07:56  |  Victor 29/01/07
  35.   Nadav, I didn`t say those, but described Paletinian Atrocities 08:00  |  The Samras 29/01/07
  36.   to number 25 08:07  |  FERSHEJA 29/01/07
  37.   AUSTRIA LEADS THE LIST 08:10  |  nacl 29/01/07
  38.   # 25 "Progressive" Jew 08:54  |  Sarah 29/01/07
  39.   So, Abu Samra, you are in good company, with Montreal`s Mayor ... 09:00  |  Nadav 29/01/07
  40.   Stefane Gendron is not the Mayor of Montreal 09:03  |  Montreal Jew 29/01/07
  41.   FERSHEJA # 36 - You Got it Wrong 09:09  |  Phinias Whoppy 29/01/07
  42.   more antisemitic attacks in europe means 09:55  |  dontusee? 29/01/07
  43.   It does not help. 09:56  |  David Nigel Braham 29/01/07
  44.   #25 Regressive Arab, not "Progressive Jew" 10:02  |  Yonatan 29/01/07
  45.   that is endless hopeless subject 10:07  |  Atilla Karagozoglu 29/01/07
  46.   anti semetic eurabia rears its ugly face 60yr later!!!! 10:17  |  yossi 29/01/07
  47.   have there been any attacks in sussex england? 10:18  |  harzion 29/01/07
  48.   Dialogue with religions is THE ONLY WAY OUT ! 10:24  |  Atilla Karagozoglu 29/01/07
  49.   Europe will never be rid of its anti semitism!!! 10:24  |  James 29/01/07
  50.   Progressive Arab #33, may I comment about your spelling? 10:32  |  Reactionary Jew 29/01/07
  51.   # 39 Nadav, I have nothing to do with anti-semitizm 10:45  |  Abu Samra 29/01/07
  52.   Live by the Jewish State......... 10:56  |  tony fisher 29/01/07
  53.   Zio-Freaks 10:58  |  hmmmmmm 29/01/07
  54.   true 11:01  |  christoph 29/01/07
  55.   Progressive Jew a shamefulsham 11:01  |  Star of David 29/01/07
  56.   # 40 Ofcourse Stefabe Gendron will be fired as he spoke the truth 11:02  |  Semone 29/01/07
  57.   APARTHEID How many Israelis did the Pals try to kill. 11:03  |  PETER SM 29/01/07
  58.   Radical 11:12  |  Star of David 29/01/07
  59.   18. Mark: the real shame 11:17  |  ajewinfrance 29/01/07
  60.   Anti semitic incidents have gone down 11:22  |  Tarek 29/01/07
  61.   Rectification 11:32  |  Rami 29/01/07
  62.   to 51 #christoph 11:36  |  Marcelo 29/01/07
  63.   52: Tony shows antisemitism isn`t limited to Europe 11:38  |  David Teich 29/01/07
  64.   Storyteller Moses 11:41  |  Dav 29/01/07
  65.   #10 Yankelovitz 11:54  |  Itsik 29/01/07
  66.   Anti Zionism = Anti semitism... The new mutation of jew hating!!! 11:55  |  phillip 29/01/07
  67.   #11 Apartheid 12:00  |  Itsik 29/01/07
  68.   The pure numbers don’t tell the truth 12:02  |  Jonathan S 29/01/07
  69.   these stats are a waste of time - do the math 12:05  |  joshua 29/01/07
  70.   Beware of friends like these. 12:09  |  Najdt 29/01/07
  71.   Marilyn: stone age 12:33  |  Yaron 29/01/07
  72.   anti-Europeanism 12:34