[Letters] The fallout of demonizing Israel

After the terror attack in Norway, the Western world was united in its recognition that the extremism in its midst had to be tackled. Yet the Toulouse terror attack is an indication of how badly the Western world has failed. Israel is constantly demonized to a level that is both totally unjustifiable in terms of the scale or brutality of its conflict with its neighbors, and unparalleled - no other country or entity is singled out and held accountable to the same degree as Israel.

This demonization is not conducted solely by extremists, but is the norm in the mainstream as well. It is carried out by politicians, in the media and by human rights groups - all entities that should be held accountable for the consequences of their incitement. For example, the indisputably mainstream BBC spent thousands in taxpayer money to make sure a report into its coverage-bias against Israel remained secret.

Some of the fallout from this demonization happened this week in Toulouse. This attack didn’t happen in isolation - it occurred in an environment where Israel - and consequently Jews - is demonized. The responsibility for this terror attack cannot be dismissed merely as extremism. The responsibility for this attack - and the responsibility to prevent similar attacks in the future - lies far, far wider.

Michelle Moshelian, Israel