International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, December 8, 2004

A poll released last weekend revealed that 51% of Germans believe that Israel's present-day treatment of the Palestinians is equivalent to the Nazi atrocities against European Jews during World War II.

The opinion survey by the University of Bielefeld also found that 68% of Germans believe that Israel is waging a "war of extermination" against the Palestinians, and 82% were angered by Israel's policies towards the Palestinians.

The German pollsters said the findings "may be worrying" and agreed with Yad Vashem official Avner Shalev that media bias against Israel was partly to blame. They also concurred that pent-up feelings among Germans wanting to be freed from guilt over the Holocaust was a main factor. Some 62% of respondents said they were sick of "all this harping" of German crimes against Jews, while 68% said that they found it "annoying" that Germans today are still held to blame for Nazi crimes against Jews.

The analogy between Israel and the Nazis has been gaining currency across Europe and was a major theme running through an anti-Israel academic conference entitled "Resisting Israeli Apartheid" held at the University of London on Sunday. Several speakers used the word "genocide" liberally to describe Israeli actions against Palestinians, attendees said.

Given such trends, former Ashkenzai chief rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau just completed a prolonged tour of Europe and concluded by warning Jewish communities there that they have no future on the continent.

But on a positive note, The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday quoted the French ambassador to Israel, Gerard Araud, as praising Israel for trying "to show the utmost restraint" in the conflict with the Palestinians since 2000.