*** From [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Tomasz Iwanowski) ISRAELIS TURN TO BERLIN FOR REFUGE FROM CONFLICT By Kate Connolly in Berlin The Guardian (London) -- June 17, 2002
Increasing numbers of Israelis are applying for German citizenship in order to have a secure country to escape to should the Middle East conflict escalate, diplomats say. Since the start of the second intifada at the end of September 2000, the number of applications for citizenship lodged with the German embassy in Tel Aviv has risen steadily. The figure for January and February 2002 alone stood at 498, compared with 1,253 for the whole of 2000. Last year 1,751 applications were received and this year the number is expected to exceed 3,000. German diplomats in Israel told today's edition of Der Spiegel magazine that most of the applications are made by Israelis who want to have an "insurance domicile" to move to, should the conflict with the Palestinians worsen. "It has to be said that the majority of applicants do not intend to move to Germany, they want to stay in Israel if at all possible," a diplomat told the magazine. A clause in Germany's constitution meant to offer a degree of recompense for the Holocaust guarantees that people persecuted under the Nazi regime or stripped of their citizenship because of race, religion or politics have a life-long right to secure German citizenship. The clause also includes offspring and other relatives. The recent trend has shown no sign of waning, despite a fierce anti-semitism debate which began in Germany after Jurgen Mollemann, the deputy leader of the liberal FDP party, compared the Israeli government's tactics towards Palestinians to those of the Nazi regime. Jewish groups in Germany have taken to the streets to protest at the remarks, and have called for Mr Mollemann to resign. A book by a leading German author, Martin Walser, has also prompted much soul-searching after critics declared it to be anti-semitic. A poll published at the weekend looked set to keep the debate alive. A study by the Sigmund Freud Institute in Frankfurt showed an increase in anti-semitism. Thirty-six per cent of those polled said they would agree with the statement "I can understand very well that some people are unpleasant towards Jews", compared with 20% three years ago. The number of Jews moving to Germany, mainly from the former Soviet Union, has risen exponentially since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, with some cities seeing a tenfold increase in their Jewish populations. The growth has often caused tension within the existing Jewish community, many of whose members say those from the east claiming to be Jews are not always genuine. ===== RZADY MASOWEGO MORDERCY MUSZA SIE SKONCZYC! ======================== KIERES MUSI ODEJSC! ======================== Wspmoz RUCH NA RZECZ JEDNOMANDATOWYCH OKREGOW WYBORCZYCH,JOW ======================== Co robisz? - boje sie. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com =============================================================== Lista 'Forum Zagraniczne' Administrator: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Archiwum: http://www.mail-archive.com/forum.zagraniczne@3w3.net
