European Coalition for Israel conference in Brussels concludes
“- Enemies of Israel are also a threat to Europe”

Brussels 25 September 2006 – The threat of the destruction of the state of Israel should not only be considered an issue of Jewish concern. The same forces which are trying to wipe Israel off the map would also want to conquer Europe. This became clear at the 4th Annual Policy Conference of the European Coalition for Israel in the European Parliament in Brussels last week. Several speakers confirmed that the same militant Islamic forces which are waging a war against Israel would also like to see Europe conquered.

- “It may happen through violence or it may happen through natural growth, but in only two generations most parts of Europe will be under Islamic law”, predicted bestselling author and journalist Dr Udo Ulfkotte from Germany. Ulfkotte has studied militant Islamist groups for over 15 years and have come to the conclusion that they pose a threat to a free and democratic Europe. When he discovered that the newspaper which he was working for no longer allowed him to report on ideologically motivated violence in Germany he resigned. Today he is an author and lecturer at the university in Lüneburg Germany where he teaches about the Islamization of Europe.

“- What Europe faces now is the same process of islamization as Lebanon did go through already many years ago” said Kamal el Batal from Lebanon. He regretted that the West has not paid more attention to the mass exodus of Christians from Lebanon and the eradication of Christian villages in the south of the country. El Batal spoke about the effective penetration of Hezbollah of all aspects of Lebanese society.

- “These terror groups have resources which they are happy to use to infiltrate the population. It starts with small children who are taught in schoolbooks to hate Israel and the west.“ He warned the European audience that we are engaged in a war of ideas. “This war cannot be won by military force but by presenting ideas and values which are more appealing than those of hatred and intolerance”, he said.

- “The caliphate (the rulership of Islam) is incompatible with European values”, confirmed former French minister of Health Georgina Dufoix. “These values are not only contrary to Judeo-Christian values but are also in contradiction with generally accepted European values such as freedom”, brotherhood and equality”. The Biblical mandate to love one’s neighbor does not mean that you have to agree with him”, she pointed out.

- “Europe needs to wake up to reality”, Dufoix stated. “This should not lead us to fear or hatred but to a true soul searching in order to rediscover the Judeo-Christian roots which can again make Europe strong and also appeal to those of other faiths.”

- “Europe has cut off these Jewish roots and missed the fruits”,  observed Coalition chairman Willem Glashouwer from the Netherlands. “We cut off our roots when we sent 6 million Jews to the gas chambers but also when we rejected God and Judeo-Christian values in the European constitution”, he said.

The new designated chairman of the European Parliament MEP Hans-Gert Pöttering agreed that it was a mistake to leave God out of the European Constitutional draft. As the chairman of the Christian-Democratic group in the European Parliament he has strongly recommended that God would be clearly mentioned in the new European constitution.

- “Only when we know what we ourselves believe can we engage in a fruitful dialogue with those who have another believes and convictions”, he said. Pöttering called for reciprocity in the way that Europe and the Arab world threats minority religions. At a recent trip to Saudi Arabia he had brought up the issue of death sentences to Muslims who convert to Christianity.

Many speakers confirmed that Europe’s lack of support for Israel is an expression of their disconnect with their own Judeo-Christian heritage. Conference host MEP Hannu Takkula summarized the conference in his speech when he stated that “A European Union which is not true to its past will have difficulty navigating in to future.”

The conference was attended by over 100 participants from 17 different nations. European Commissioner for External affairs Benita Ferrero-Waldner sent her greetings to the conference where she was represented by her chief of staff Patrick Child.