StopAntisemitism announces top three 'Antisemite of the Year' finalists

StopAntisemitism, a non-profit watchdog organization dedicated to exposing and combatting antisemitism, has announced its top three finalists for 2023’s Antisemite of the Year. 

The annual competition has garnered 10,000 votes in its fifth year, and the voting results will be announced on January 8, 2024. In 2022, Kanye West was named Antisemite of the Year.

This year’s finalists are:

Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas and one of the key masterminds behind the October 7 attacks. The brutal attacks resulted in the murder of 1200 Israelis, while another 240 were taken hostage, including 30 children. Haniyeh praised the October 7 massacre on television as a “great victory.” Haniyeh has played a primary leadership role in Hamas since its takeover of Gaza in 2007 and has vowed never to recognize Israel.

Rashida Tlaib, an American Democratic Congresswoman, blamed the October 7 attacks on Israel.

She falsely accused the Jewish state of hospital bombings, which were later proven to be the result of a failed rocket launch by Palestinian terrorists. Despite this evidence, Tlaib continued blaming Israel, endorsed false claims of “genocide,” and defended the antisemitic slogan “From the River to the Sea.” On November 7, one month after the massacre, Tlaib was censured by her colleagues for her statements regarding genocide against Israel.

Gigi Hadid, a supermodel and influencer, has a history of antisemitic comments against the Jewish state and its people. She is the older sister of supermodel Bella Hadid and daughter of failed real estate mogul Mohammed Hadid, both of whom have frequently made antisemitic and anti-Israel statements.

Following the October 7 massacre, she falsely accused Israel of being “the only country in the world that keeps children as prisoners of war” and of “abduction, rape, humiliation, torture, murder of Palestinians years and years before October 7, 2023.” 

“Throughout the year, we’ve witnessed a lot of depravity,” said StopAntisemitism Executive Director Liora Rez.

“Whether by saturating social media with antisemitic misinformation, advocating for abandoning the Jewish state as it defends itself, or orchestrating the largest murder of Jews since the Holocaust, these three finalists showcase the depth and breadth of contemporary antisemitism.”