janekb
29 Feb 2008
News / Yitzhak Shamir - prime minister of Israel with anti-polish sentiment [41]
Prime Ministers are not slipping (unless their name is Bush) and what they say has to be taken seriously and there was the reason why Shamir choose to express himself the way he did. Not knowing circumstances it’s hard to figure it out why he did that. I do not believe that he was just insulting Poles. Now try to analyze what are possible consequences of his statement. Judging by reactions at this forum it for sure did not gain him and his people any friends. Possibly he is trying to make Polish government to some action proving that anti-Semitism in Poland is a distant past. There is on-going discussion about reparations for the pre-war Jewish own property in Poland, it is possible that he is trying to influence outcome in this. The hope is that polish politicians would not be cowed and for once will give a sharp rebuke or ignore it. Playing that victim card is getting old, it should be sufficient to point to the Israel’s treatment of their neighbors. It’s enough to look through the post was polish history to see plenty of reasons for the population to be anti-Semitic (communist governments and specially its secret services). Jews never assimilated in Poland (their claim was that Poland had very little to offer). If the minority exists for five centuries using different language, customs, courts, and living totally separate lives it should not expect to be helped when it needs help. There are neighbors who do not like each other and due to the tragic circumstances we do not have to be neighbors.
Prime Ministers are not slipping (unless their name is Bush) and what they say has to be taken seriously and there was the reason why Shamir choose to express himself the way he did. Not knowing circumstances it’s hard to figure it out why he did that. I do not believe that he was just insulting Poles. Now try to analyze what are possible consequences of his statement. Judging by reactions at this forum it for sure did not gain him and his people any friends. Possibly he is trying to make Polish government to some action proving that anti-Semitism in Poland is a distant past. There is on-going discussion about reparations for the pre-war Jewish own property in Poland, it is possible that he is trying to influence outcome in this. The hope is that polish politicians would not be cowed and for once will give a sharp rebuke or ignore it. Playing that victim card is getting old, it should be sufficient to point to the Israel’s treatment of their neighbors. It’s enough to look through the post was polish history to see plenty of reasons for the population to be anti-Semitic (communist governments and specially its secret services). Jews never assimilated in Poland (their claim was that Poland had very little to offer). If the minority exists for five centuries using different language, customs, courts, and living totally separate lives it should not expect to be helped when it needs help. There are neighbors who do not like each other and due to the tragic circumstances we do not have to be neighbors.