Why Are Palestinians Bearing The Brunt of European Anti-Semitism?
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Europe has a very long history of anti-Semitism.
Whether through literature or state policy, the supposed ‘civilized world’ has been disfigured by this ancient bigotry.
In Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, the worst anti-Jewish stereotypes were deployed by the greatest ever writer in the English language, to make Shylock the least sympathetic protagonist.
By the time the Spanish inquisition took place in the 15th century, in which several thousands of Jews were forced to convert to Christianity or leave the country, England and France had expelled their Jewish populations.
The word ghetto has its origins in anti-Semitism too.
Italian Jews were forced to live in ghettos and could only engage in a handful of industries, of which money lending was one.
Across the continent, things weren’t any better.
The pogroms which took place in Eastern Europe, in the late 19th century reflect the extraordinary bigotry with which Jewish folk had to grapple.
Even when the United States of America came to being, state policy was actively opposed to Jewish migration from the old world.