Israel blames democracy, love and chocolate for Belgium attacks
Israel blames democracy, love and chocolate for Belgium attacks
Israeli MPs are using the Brussels bombings as an excuse to attack European liberalism, as one minister cited Belgians' renowned love for chocolate as one factor behind the deadly attacks.
2 min read
23 Mar, 2016
Israel's Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz is part of Netanyahu's Likud government [Getty]
As Belgium continues to mourn following Tuesday's terror attacks, an Israeli minister has identified a bizarre link to the crimes.
Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz said that Belgium's love for chocolate, democracy - and life - made it incapable of preventing the terror attacks.
"If in Belgium they continue eating chocolate and enjoying life - and continue to appear as great democrats and liberals - and not decided that some Muslims in their country are organising terror, they won't be able to fight them," he told Israel Radio.
The comments come just a day after 30 people died when three bombs tore through a busy underground train station in the capital and Brussels airport.
Belgium is still in mourning and receiving condolences from citizens and leaders around the world.
Israeli ministers, however, have used the bombings to attack Belgium's reputation as a liberal and multicultural society [to many Israelis, that reads 'soft on terror'].
On Monday, the country's science minister, Ofir Akunis, suggested that a new EU law on labelling Israeli settlement goods played a role in the Brussels bombings.
"Many in Europe have preferred to occupy themselves with the folly of condemning Israel, labelling products, and boycotts. In this time, underneath the nose of the continent's citizens, thousands of extremist Islamic terror cells have grown," he wrote on Facebook.
Likud MP Nava Boker also said that Belgium's Interior Minister Jan Jambon believed "more must be done to make young Muslims feel at home" rather than going after terrorists.
She added that Belgium should immediately close its borders and halt Muslim immigration to prevent further attacks.
MP Kesenia Svetlova also blamed European multi-culturalism for the bombings, The Jerusalem Post reported.
"Europe must come up with a continent-wide plan for a war on extreme and destructive ideology and a holistic approach to deal with all of the negatives entering the continent in the name of extremist Islamic ideology such as female circumcision, preventing education, racism, forced marriage, polygamy and other issues," the Moscow-born Israeli politician said.
Israeli politicians are not alone in blaming European liberalism for the bombings.
Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz used the terror attacks in Belgium as an opportunity to call for a ban on Muslim immigration to the US. The UK Independence Party called for an end to visa-free travel within the EU - and Donald Trump was about as respectful as you'd expect.
Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz said that Belgium's love for chocolate, democracy - and life - made it incapable of preventing the terror attacks.
"If in Belgium they continue eating chocolate and enjoying life - and continue to appear as great democrats and liberals - and not decided that some Muslims in their country are organising terror, they won't be able to fight them," he told Israel Radio.
The comments come just a day after 30 people died when three bombs tore through a busy underground train station in the capital and Brussels airport.
Belgium is still in mourning and receiving condolences from citizens and leaders around the world.
Israeli ministers, however, have used the bombings to attack Belgium's reputation as a liberal and multicultural society [to many Israelis, that reads 'soft on terror'].
On Monday, the country's science minister, Ofir Akunis, suggested that a new EU law on labelling Israeli settlement goods played a role in the Brussels bombings.
"Many in Europe have preferred to occupy themselves with the folly of condemning Israel, labelling products, and boycotts. In this time, underneath the nose of the continent's citizens, thousands of extremist Islamic terror cells have grown," he wrote on Facebook.
Likud MP Nava Boker also said that Belgium's Interior Minister Jan Jambon believed "more must be done to make young Muslims feel at home" rather than going after terrorists.
She added that Belgium should immediately close its borders and halt Muslim immigration to prevent further attacks.
MP Kesenia Svetlova also blamed European multi-culturalism for the bombings, The Jerusalem Post reported.
"Europe must come up with a continent-wide plan for a war on extreme and destructive ideology and a holistic approach to deal with all of the negatives entering the continent in the name of extremist Islamic ideology such as female circumcision, preventing education, racism, forced marriage, polygamy and other issues," the Moscow-born Israeli politician said.
Israeli politicians are not alone in blaming European liberalism for the bombings.
Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz used the terror attacks in Belgium as an opportunity to call for a ban on Muslim immigration to the US. The UK Independence Party called for an end to visa-free travel within the EU - and Donald Trump was about as respectful as you'd expect.
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