Belgium's fears of anti-Semitism and extremism come out of the closet 
 
 
 
 A member of the Jewish community displaying books damaged by a firebomb attack on a Brussels synagogue in April. 
(Photo: Reuters ) 
 
BRUSSELS - The Belgian establishment is worried. The recent steep rise in attacks on Jews, including a December 2001 attack on the Brussels chief rabbi and a number of recent shootings against synagogues across the country, along with increasing hostility toward Muslims, have not only stained the country's image and strained its diplomatic relationships, but have also exposed the incompetence of the country's authorities. 

King Albert II used the July 21 National Day celebrations to publicly address this phenomenon for the first time. In his speech to the nation, the king talked about the wave of racism sweeping Europe and Belgium, specifically mentioning the murder of an elderly Moroccan couple in Brussels by right-wing extremists. 

"Other communities are suffering from the increasing phenomenon of intolerance, such as attacks on synagogues in the country," the king said. He added that it would be "inconceivable that they [perpetrators] would try and bring the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East to us." 

Even if the king refrained from explicitly mentioning the Jewish community, which numbers about 30,000-35,000, Israeli representatives were satisfied that the Belgians finally said publicly what had been discussed behind closed doors or at events organized by the Jewish community: that cracks in the country's social fabric were becoming noticeable, and that the Jews were victims of anti-Semitism linked to political motives, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

Top Israeli diplomats, however, said that in the absence of any vigorous campaign to limit incitement to violence against Jews, it is doubtful that things will improve. 

"The Western European governments condemned the attacks on Jews in a weak and feeble manner," said Harry Kney-Tal, Israel's ambassador to the European Communities. "They know that these acts are carried out in the vast majority of cases by elements in the Muslim minority, but they fear that by pointing an accusing finger, they will contradict their policy of neutrality, as well as probably be interpreted as taking a stand or choosing a side," he said. 

Diplomatic sources said that the Middle East conflict has become an internal political issue, and a number of parties have decided to support anti-Israel legislation in the hope that it will "score them points" with the 500,000-strong Muslim community when the fall election campaign begins. 

This also led the Belgian government to support a new bill that will practically ensure that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon can be tried by Brussels for his alleged role in the Sabra and Chatilla massacres. 

Diplomatic and electoral interests are not the only reasons preventing the Belgian authorities from taking action against individuals inciting against Jews and against extreme Muslim groups such as the Al Aqsa association, which raises money for Hamas in a number of European countries. International treaties signed by Brussels, such as the Schengen Treaty, which removes internal border controls between member states, makes the surveillance and location of suspected terrorists more difficult. In meetings between Belgian and Israeli officials, it emerged that Brussels also lacks a body to oversee the work of dozens of law enforcement and security organizations spread out through the country's four levels of power: federal, regional, provincial and municipal. 

Belgium, like many other European countries, is trying to understand the roots of the Muslim organizations' radicalization. The Belgian parliament probed extremist Islam and prepared a secret report, parts of which were leaked to the media. According to the report, the government's current handling of the issue is insufficient, and senior EU sources believe that Belgium, like other Western European nations, is not prepared to deal with a mass terror attack. 

The heads of the Brussels-based CEJI (European Jewish Information Center) asked the Council of the EU four months ago to restrain Arab countries who participated in the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (the Barcelona Process) meetings, which Israel also attended. 

A top EU official told Ha'aretz that the organization has no intention of conditioning the financial aid given to Arab states and governments where incitement against Israel and Jews is rife to the Arab authorities taking concrete steps to stop this. 

"I don't think that tying our aid to a particular line is likely to be productive," he said. "We cannot control the press, and I don't see how you could do so in practical terms. We try by cooperating with those countries to steer them toward more open and liberal attitudes, but that doesn't mean that we should dictate to them what line to take."