Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has obviously asked for trouble by urging Jews in France to flee to Israel to escape anti-Semitism.

Following a speech to American Jewish leaders in Jerusalem on Sunday, Sharon noted that the population of France is now about 10 per cent Muslim, which he said accounts for the rise of "the wildest anti-Semitism."

The French Foreign Ministry later called his accusation "unacceptable" and demanded an official explanation.

It seems that Sharon missed a good opportunity to keep quiet this time around.

His remarks not only outraged France but received the cold shoulder from those he described as his "brothers in France." Leaders of the country's Jewish community voiced strong disapproval, saying Sharon had no right to speak for them.

France is home to around 600,000 Jews, the largest Jewish population in Europe, and about 5 million Muslims.

According to French Interior Ministry, there were 510 anti-Jewish acts or threats in the first half of this year, compared to 593 for all of 2003.

Many of the incidents have been attributed to young French Muslims, who often vent their rage at Israel's policies toward Palestinians by targeting Jewish sites such as cemeteries and synagogues. Similarly, there has been an increase of attacks against Muslim targets such as mosques and prayer rooms.

Certainly no political pretext can justify racism.

It is thought-provoking that French media suggested Sharon's declaration about French Jews was motivated by a desire to "discredit" France and keep Europe out of any resolution of the Middle East crisis.

Despite moves by many other governments to isolate Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Michel Barnier, France's new foreign minister, enraged the Israelis when he stayed overnight at Arafat's compound in Ramallah during his June visit to the West Bank.

Barnier urged an end to Israel's confinement of Arafat in his headquarters, calling it "undignified."

Sharon was quoted afterward as saying he was "very disappointed" by Barnier's visit, which showed France's "unfriendly behaviour" toward the Jewish state.

This may help clarify the motivation behind Sharon's words about French Jews.

With the Middle East peace process deadlocked, what Sharon needs to do is to rethink Israel's pressing policy toward the Palestinians and its outrageous behaviour in breach of international laws, rather than pointing fingers at other countries.