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Confronting Israeli Realities with Dutch Ones
[Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs] Interview with Ayaan Hirsi Ali by Manfred Gerstenfeld - A crucial element of Israel's success is the unifying factor among its immigrants. What binds them is being Jewish. Such a bond is lacking in the Netherlands, where the immigrants' background is diverse and also differs greatly from that of the Netherlands, including religion. In socialist eyes, whoever is not white or Western is a victim and this includes Muslims, Palestinians and immigrants. These people, however, are responsible for their acts like anybody else. There are many cases of extreme racism perpetrated by the minorities in the Netherlands, including a number of honor killings. Those who propagate the image of the Netherlands as a tolerant country do not understand the difference between being tolerant and tolerating intolerance. The crisis of Dutch socialism can be sized up in its attitudes toward both Islam and Israel. It holds Israel to exceptionally high moral standards. The standards for judging the Palestinians, however, are very low. Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a former member of the Dutch parliament.