France has most anti-semitic incidents in world says Israel

ISRAEL said yesterday that France had the dubious distinction of being the country with the highest number of anti-semitic incidents in the world last year.

"The situation for Jews in France is very problematic,” said Natan Sharansky, Minister for Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs, adding that the number of anti-Semitic events recorded in France had doubled in 2003.

He said 47% of all such incidents registered in western Europe took place in France, and urged immediate action by the authorities in Paris.