The shameful priorities of Spaniards


Further to this post about Spanish antisemitism, here is a historical background worth reading in its entirety:

This was a clear warning of what awaited Spain on March 11, 2004 at Atocha - the main train station in central Madrid when Islamic fundamentalists (Moroccan, Syrian and Algerian nationals) linked to al-Qaeda determined to change Spain’s political course and decide the parliamentary election due to take place a few days later, exploded devices that took almost 200 lives and wounded close to two thousand innocent travelers. The net result of the worst outrage in Europe since the end of World War II has been an unprecedented victory of radical Islam against Western civilization. The recent massive demonstration in favor of Hamas and against Israel in Madrid that took place a week before the end of recent hostilities in the Gaza Strip stands in total contradiction to the fond hopes and long negotiations that led up to the historic reconciliation of diplomatic relations achieved in 1986.

The reality of today is that Spain is the most antisemitic (and probably the most anti-American) country in Western Europe. Five hundred years after the Expulsion, Spanish antisemitism and not just anti-Israeli views is at a fever pitch. According to the Pew Research Center’s most recent report, nearly half of all Spaniards now have negative views of Jews compared to 36% of Poles, 25% in Germany, 20% in France and only 7% in the United States. For more than four hundred years there was no Jewish (or Muslim) presence whatsoever in Spain. The strong traditions of antisemitism fostered by the Church became deeply embedded in Spanish folklore. No matter what the shared heritage with the Sephardi Jews, almost all Spaniards and the entirety of the Spanish press support the Palestinian cause and even more so since the Madrid massacre and election of 2004.

The reason can hardly be in doubt. Unlike ETA, the Jews have no weapons of terror to exert blackmail, and Israel has no oil to withhold or threaten like the Arab countries. Spanish politicians on the Left advocate “doing everything to avoid a repetition of March 11^th”. To them “Never Again”, means never another act of terrorism, and the price to be paid is a small one; to pacify Islamic extremism and favor the general Arab and Palestinian campaign against Israel on all fronts.