Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, speaking with the European Union's official news agency, explained why Israel cannot agree to have the EU serve as a mediator in the Middle East conflict: "The Europeans treat anti-Semitism as something natural, and Israel cannot entrust its destiny in the hands of a one-sided and biased European leadership." Sharon also said that there is no difference between anti-Semitic outlooks and those who purport to proffer criticism of Israel's policies. "The European governments are not doing enough to fight anti-Semitism," Sharon said, adding that the growth of the Moslem populations in Europe "endangers European Jewry."
In a related item, the University of Toronto canceled a planned anti-Israel event last week. The Toronto Palestinian Solidarity Conference was to support the use of terrorism against Israel, call for an unconditional Palestinian "right of return," and object to a two-state solution, thereby advocating the destruction of the State of Israel. The University said that the organizers were permitted to express their beliefs in the framework of free speech - but that their demand that members agree to the above mandatory list of beliefs "stifles dissent."
Al-Awda, the student group that broke university policy by excluding those who do not agree with their mandates from their membership, refused to drop its requirement. Members were required to accept the statement: "We support the right of the Palestinian people to resist Israeli colonialism by any means of their choosing."
In a related item, the University of Toronto canceled a planned anti-Israel event last week. The Toronto Palestinian Solidarity Conference was to support the use of terrorism against Israel, call for an unconditional Palestinian "right of return," and object to a two-state solution, thereby advocating the destruction of the State of Israel. The University said that the organizers were permitted to express their beliefs in the framework of free speech - but that their demand that members agree to the above mandatory list of beliefs "stifles dissent."
Al-Awda, the student group that broke university policy by excluding those who do not agree with their mandates from their membership, refused to drop its requirement. Members were required to accept the statement: "We support the right of the Palestinian people to resist Israeli colonialism by any means of their choosing."