The media must stop presenting antisemitism as legitimate criticism - opinion

Radical Islamic groups, alongside extreme right- and left-wing groups, which seemingly have nothing in common, have discovered a shared hatred for Jews and Israel. What once appeared to be legitimate criticism of Israel has turned into declared antisemitism that has escalated since the October 7 massacre perpetrated by Hamas in Israel.

The bloody attack and the hostile media coverage that followed it marked a significant rise in antisemitism today. 

Antisemitism began to develop globally hundreds of years ago for various reasons. Scholars of antisemitism suggest that Muslims blamed Jews for not recognizing the mission of Mohammed; Christians blamed them for rejecting the teachings of Jesus even killing him.

The Muslim persecution of Jews did not begin with the establishment of Israel. The claim that Jews and Muslims lived in peace until the rise of Zionism is nothing more than a myth. Mohammed and his followers slaughtered Jews, viewing them as impure, calling them descendants of monkeys and pigs. 

The notion, perpetuated by the international media and even within the Israeli Left, that the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel would resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is utter nonsense. The Palestinian ideology, which views the land on which Israel was established as occupied territory “from the river to the sea” aims for the Jewish state to cease to exist.

The Islamic Republic of Iran - harking back to the Persian empire of old – seeks to destroy the Jews (and the Jewish state); and Palestinians, along with the antisemitic Turkish leader Tayyip Erdogan, share the same murderous ideology.

A history of antisemitism

Hatred and antisemitism toward Jews are not new phenomena. Beginning in the 11th century and during the Crusades to Jerusalem, the situation of Jews worsened, reaching its peak 200 years later with the medieval massacres of Jews who refused to convert to Christianity – and the persecution by the Spanish Inquisition of those who had converted.

Jews were accused of all the world’s troubles, from the Black Death in the Middle Ages, which wiped out over a third of Europe’s population, to the murder of children (known as “blood libels”), claimed Jews used the blood of Christian youngsters to make matzah for Passover. Today’s antisemitism mirrors the antisemitism of the past, the same one we thought had nearly disappeared after World War II.

The world that stood by while the Nazis murdered six million Jews is standing by once again. History is beginning to repeat itself.

Modern Jew hatred

TODAY’S ANTISEMITISM is fueled by the media under the guise of legitimate criticism of Israel. The British newspaper The Independent calls Israel “child killers,” while the BBC and SKY news networks in the United Kingdom rarely cover Hamas’s crimes and instead focus on one-sided and uninformed criticism of Israel. This is not journalism; it is ignorance and antisemitism. 

The term “child killers” is an old Christian phrase, rehashed by writers in the British press. The Norwegian antisemitic writer Jostein Gaarder also uses the term “child killers.” In his ignorance, Gaarder does not understand that a Muslim takeover of his country is only a matter of time.

Antisemitism distorts the minds of many journalists, who see Israel as a brutal occupier that treats Palestinians as the Nazis treated Jews. Unfortunately, this warped opinion is held by a significant percentage of Europeans.

Last month, Flemish columnist Herman Brusselmans accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of child murder in his regular column in the Flemish publication HUMO in Belgium. 

Among other things, Brusselmans wrote, “I am so angry I want to shove a sharp knife into the throat of every Jew I encounter.” Thankfully, after reading his repugnant words, the European Jewish Association (EJA) appealed to Belgium’s Attorney General, demanding the arrest of the columnist for incitement to murder. The organization also contacted the magazine’s editorial team, demanding they suspend the writer immediately before further calls for the murder of Jews appeared in his columns.

Israel’s Ambassador to Belgium Idit Abum Ronsweig responded to the column: “In a country where Jews are attacked daily and 70% fear for their lives, how did this pass editorial review? Antisemitism and legitimization of violence should be a red line, even for the verbal outburst of an ‘intellectual’ in a leftist magazine.” She pointed out that, had similar statements been made against Muslims, there would have been a major outcry.

The Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic (FJC) reported 4,328 antisemitic incidents in 2023, compared to 2,277 in 2022, representing a 90% increase.

A new comprehensive survey reveals a significant and alarming rise in antisemitism toward Jewish teenagers in high schools worldwide, following the events of October 7. The findings show a global increase of 29.1% in the feeling of antisemitism among Jewish teenagers, with a sharp rise of 45.9% outside the United States. The survey, conducted by Mosaic Youth, a division of Mosaic United, a joint initiative of Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Ministry and Jewish philanthropists, paints a worrying picture of the reality faced by young Jews worldwide.

Nearly half of respondents experienced antisemitism personally, mainly in school settings. Particularly troubling is the fact that over two-thirds of Jewish youth identified classmates as the primary source of hostility. 

The survey also reveals a disturbing trend of antisemitism among school staff, with a quarter of respondents reporting antisemitic remarks from teachers and administrators. Furthermore, a significant percentage of students encountered antisemitic content in their educational material.

The consequences of this reality are evident in significant behavioral changes among Jewish students. Many have begun avoiding wearing Jewish symbols, hesitating to post Jewish or Israeli content on social media, and even feeling the need to hide their Jewish identity.

In meetings I hold in my consular capacity with diplomats at home and abroad, I am sometimes astonished by the ignorance and naivety of diplomats, respected representatives of nations, who do not understand the meaning of the phrase: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” They are surprised when I explain that this phrase means nothing less than the destruction of Israel.

As a media professional for decades, I believe that Israel has not fully understood the importance of a strong international public relations strategy and has not acted professionally enough to combat the disinformation and lies spread by our enemies. 

Once again, I urge Israel to recruit professional influencers and opinion leaders and adequately fund its public relations efforts.

The writer is the CEO of Radios 100FM, honorary consul general of Nauru, vice dean of the Consular Corps, president of the Israeli Radio Broadcasters Association, and vice president of Israel’s Ambassador Club.