First Anti-Semitic Attack Since World War II Rocks Brussels - The Daily Beast

First Anti-Semitic Attack Since World War II Rocks Brussels - The Daily Beast

First Anti-Semitic Attack Since World War II Rocks Brussels

Ahead of Belgium's elections, a
gunman killed three people near the Jewish Museum in the Belgian capital.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/05/24/first-anti-semitic-attack-since-world-war-ii-rocks-belgium.html

Brussels is reeling from an apparent act of
anti-Semitic terrorism in the emblematic heart of Europe. As of Sunday morning,
four people were dead from a shooting inside the Jewish Museum of Belgium. One
suspect is in custody; another is still at large. The brash daylight murders --
just hours before Belgians cast their ballots in regional, federal, and European elections Sunday -- are
being called the first anti-Semitic attack in Brussels since World War II.

Witnesses tell local media they saw an Audi double park on the Rue des Minimes
outside the museum, just steps away from a crowded jazz festival, shortly
before 4 p.m. local time. A man then stepped out of the car carrying one or two
backpacks, entered the museum, and opened fire, apparently randomly. Two women
and a man suffered fatal injuries. One witness told RTL television he heard six
gunshots followed by a short pause and six more shots. Bystanders report seeing
at least one suspect then flee the scene in the Audi. An eyewitness was able to
provide the vehicle's license plate number to police.




A spokeswoman for thepublic prosecutor's office told reporters early Saturday evening in Brussels
that one suspect has been apprehended at the wheel of a car matching witnesses'
descriptions. According to the spokeswoman, that suspect admitted during
questioning to being present at the scene of the crime, but investigators have
not yet confirmed the person's role in the shooting. Police are seeking a
second suspect who fled on foot and has not yet been identified as they pore
over surveillance footage of the area. Authorities are not yet willing to
confirm the attack was anti-Semitic in nature.




Witness Alain Sobotiktold the Agence France-Presse he saw two bodies in the entrance hall of the
museum. "There was a young woman, with blood on her head. She was still
holding a brochure in her hands. She appeared to be a tourist," he said. "A
little further inside, there was a gentleman sprawled out. A firefighter was
palpating his carotid, but I think he was dead."




Belgian ForeignMinister Didier Reynders happened to be in the area at the time of the attacks
and heard gunfire. Reynders, who also serves as deputy prime minister, hurried
to the scene, saw two bodies, and called paramedics. Forty minutes later, he
tweeted, "Shocked by the murders committed at the Jewish museum, I am
thinking of the victims I saw on scene and their families."




Jewish communityleaders have told local media there had been no threats made against the museum
prior to the attack. Belgian Interior Minister Joëlle Milquet at the scene said
"everything leads us to believe this is an anti-Semitic attack."




The president of theCommittee for the Coordination of Belgium Jewish Organizations (CCOJB), Maurice
Sosnowski, told La Libre Belgique, "We are dismayed because we are
in the presence of the first anti-Jewish attack in Brussels since the Second
World War. It is difficult to think at this point that this wasn't an
attack." Sosnowski said Saturday's shooting recalled an anti-Semitic
attack two years ago in Toulouse, France.




Then, in March 2012,Al Qaeda-inspired, motorcycle-riding spree-killer Mohamed Merah slaughtered
three children and a rabbi outside a Jewish school, days after killing three
French soldiers. Merah was gunned down by police after a tense manhunt and violent 32-hour standoff at his
apartment. Merah's spree took place a month before France's 2012 presidential
election.




Indeed, Belgium voteson Sunday in national federal, regional, and Europe-wide legislative elections.
Four hundred million Europeans are eligible to vote across the European Union's
28 countries to elect a new European Parliament.




The run-up to that poll has be
en marked by uncommonly high support for populist,so-called Euroskeptic parties. High unemployment and sluggish growth across the
continent in the wake of European economic and financial crises have spurred
hostility toward the euro currency, immigrants, and Brussels itself, which
serves as the capital of the EU and home to much of its bureaucracy. But it
remains too early to tell whether Saturday's killings are related to the
Belgian or European elections.




Meanwhile, Belgiandaily Le Soir notes that Saturday's killings come just two weeks after
a "European Anti-Zionist Congress" was due to be held in the Brussels
suburb of Anderlecht featuring "notorious anti-Semites" as invited
speakers. Organized by far-right Belgian parliamentarian Laurent Louis, the
congress was ultimately banned by authorities.




In the wake ofSaturday's museum murders, Joël Rubinfeld, president of the Belgian League
Against Anti-Semitism (LBCA), told AFP, "This, alas, was bound to happen.
There is a freeing of anti-Semitic speech. It is the inevitable result of a
climate that distills hate.
"





COMMENT:

As an  observer and commenter, warned that Israel’s unbridled audacious and 
obstinacy accompanied with brutish attitude toward all other religious people
of the world to avenge HOLOCAUST. 

Israel’s Leadership has alienated the entire people of the world. They even did 
the same to the Americans. This resulted the Americans also to hate the
 ZIONISTS comprising majority Israel supporters.

The days are not far when the outburst would happen only because of the Israel’s
 continues excessive torture on the Palestinians and the killing of Americans 
like street dogs without  any remorse for the people they killed. Just imagine
how the Americans feel when they who afforded them with shelter, security, food
and place to live in their country America  when they were kicked out from their
country Germany  and other EU countries apart from what the Palestinians did
for them in those days of their difficulties.

To day it happened in Belgium , can anyone grantee that it would not take place all
around the world. In future, So long the criminal background so called Israel’s
political leadership does not change overnight the damage would be shocking and 
irreparable.  

The new set of leaders should apportion more time to appeasement with other 
religious community. Without the above mentioned action, if the present situation 
continues then the situation would go out of control and the result that would
take place would be most regrettable and none would be able to control.

It has to be accepted that this incident is the wake up call for the central authority
of Jewish Organization to take drastic action and remove all criminal background
people from holding political appointments in Israel otherwise thing would be most 
unfortunate.

The recent think that took place is very unfortunate and regrettable, it all happened 
because of the Jewish Leaders surely not for the faults general Israeli population. 

We all human beings pray  to God Almighty to bless peace on the departed souls.