Middle East crisis puts Belgium’s Jews under threat; tensions between Muslims

The Jewish community in Belgium is leading to extra protection due to the escalating conflict between Israel and Gaza. Attacks and vandalism on Jewish synagogues have been reported, and anti-Semitism has been expressed during demonstrations. An increase in police presence in Antwerp and Brussels has been put in place to monitor potential targets. “Our community is under attack as some people are trying to import the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. There have been arson attacks and some Jews have received death threats,” says Diane Keizer, who heads up the Belgian Forum for Jewish Organizations. Many are pointing the finger at extremist fringes of the Muslim community. While protests supporting Gaza have been largely peaceful, “there’s a hardcore group that is using what’s happening in the Middle East to attack Jews,” Ms. Keizer believes. Some local residents have noted a rise in tension in the climate of their neighborhoods. Various Muslims in Antwerp have complained that recent events have been dramatized: “We mustn’t blow this out of proportion. Yes, there have been isolated incidents sparked by hooligans, which we condemn absolutely. But it’s not the case that Jews and Muslims here are on a collision course. This is a village really, we live together,” says Mohammed Chakar of the Federation of Moroccan Associations.

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