"Don't take Europe seriously" encourages Israeli press

Don’t take Europe seriously

Europeans have lost ability to make distinction between aggressor, victim

Eldad Beck

Published:

06.23.10, 18:58 / Israel Opinion

BERLIN – Many Israelis have trouble understanding the European fury towards them every time Israel resorts to military force in order to protect itself and its citizens. The following story may clarify the huge schism between Israel and Europe on this front.

In September 2002, a young German called Magnus Gaefgen abducted 11-year-old Jakob von Metzler, the young son of a senior bank executive, and killed him a short time after the abduction. Meanwhile, he issued a one million Euros ransom request. The police managed to track down the kidnapper when the ransom was handed over and detained him.

Gaefgen maintained his silence during interrogation and refused to provide any information about the child’s whereabouts. There was an obvious reason for this: The abductor knew he’s in fact a murderer. The police officer who ran the investigation decided to threaten Gaefgen with torture should he fail to cooperate. Gaefgen broke, led the police to the child’s gravesite, and enabled investigators to find enough evidence to guarantee a conviction and a life term.

Yet Gaefgen kept portraying himself as a victim of the system. He shifted his campaign to the European legal system, submitting a petition against German authorities at the European Court for Human Rights in Strasbourg.


Sanctifying rights of murderers

This month, the court issued its ruling on the matter, which included a grave reprimand for German authorities, accusing them of violating human rights. The threat of torture in and of itself should be considered as inhumane treatment according to the European convention on human rights, the court said, although it rejected Gaefgen’s demand for a retrial.


In a place where human rights become a supreme value that cannot be questioned, it is no longer possible to make a clear distinction between aggressor and victim and between criminals and innocents. Europe is voluntarily tying itself up using moral handcuffs, which sooner or later will hurt it. It is also very interested in imposing these handcuffs on Israel.

Those who sanctify the rights of a murderer can no longer grasp the meaning of self-defense. This revolting approach also seeks constant justifications and explanations for crimes. Moreover, this attitude is not limited to the European leftist camp, which still admires dictators such as Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez. Indeed, the approach is slowly gaining prominence within the mainstream of European society.

Until the Europeans emerge out of this madness, Israel is entitled not to address European reactions too seriously.

This blogger says:
Comparing leaning on a guy to find a missing kid to leaning on a nation (here perceived as the victim) that kills kids en masse as "leftist thinking" ( by commies and the dull masses that always haunt the minds and dreams of old, rich, white men worldwide) is a non starter and a bad argument to make.  Earth wide morality knows this.  Whether we live in a world of law or a world of divinity, Israel must be held to account for all its civil rights violations and war crimes.  Unfortunately, my country engages in these very things as well and is the lap dog of the Israelis, this once free land now a leashed, paranoid aggressor looking for boogey men to fight and oil to harvest so that old, rich, white men can become richer.