November 25, 2003	Tuesday	Ramazan 29, 1424

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BRUSSELS, Nov 24: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said on Monday that the rising number of Muslims in Europe was a threat to the continent’s Jewish community.

“Since there is an ever strengthening Muslim presence in Europe, it certainly endangers the life of Jewish people,” Mr Sharon told an online publication, eupolitix.com, in an interview.

“Of course, the sheer fact that there are a huge amount of Muslims, approximately 70 million in the European Union, this issue has also turned into a political matter,” he said.

The Israeli prime minister repeated allegations that Europeans were inherently anti-semitic and their leaders guilty of pushing a biased policy in the Middle East.

“What we are facing in Europe is an anti-Semitism that has always existed and it really is not a new phenomenon,” Mr Sharon said in response to a recent poll in which Europeans rated Israel as the greatest threat to world peace.

He insisted that there was no distinction between anti-Semitism and legitimate criticism of Israel’s policies in the Middle East.

“Today there is no separation. We are talking about collective anti-Semitism. The state of Israel is a Jewish state and the attitude towards Israel runs accordingly,” Mr Sharon underlined and added: “In my opinion, EU governments are not doing enough to tackle anti-Semitism.”

“Europe could have played a stronger and central role if it had conducted a more balanced policy in the Middle East,” he said. “The state of Israel cannot afford to deposit its destiny in the hands of the Europeans who are known for their unbalanced policy,” he insisted.

The Israeli premier’s comments are a reflection of growing strains in EU-Israel relations. European governments have stepped up their criticism of Israeli policies, including the construction of a so-called security fence and the building of Jewish settlements in Palestinian territories.

In talks held here last week, diplomats said, EU ministers had been unusually stern with Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and rejected suggestions that criticizing Israel amount to anti-Semitism.

EU ministers also demanded that Israel stop its systematic boycott of EU representatives who met Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.