Digital Library
Israelophobia and the West The Hijacking of Civil Discourse on Israel and How to Rescue It
Topic:
Antisemitism & Antizionism, Israel & Regional Politics, Israel Literacy
Principal Investigators:
Dan Diker, Khaled Abu Toameh, Ambassador Alan Baker, Natan Sharansky, Joshua Washington et al.
Study Date:
2020
Source:
Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA)
Key Findings:
This volume evaluates the intensifying antisemitism against diaspora Jewry in Western countries and the converging rhetorical assaults on “sovereign” Jews in Israel – condemning them and their nation-state as “Nazi, apartheid, racist, genocidal, war criminal, illegal, illegitimate, colonialist, and anachronistic.”
In response, this work brings together an array of experts, including former government leaders, diplomats, security officials, academics, human rights leaders, and community representatives from Israel, Europe, South Africa, and the United States. Via their diverse individual perspectives, the authors collectively strive to elevate discourse on Israel by setting out principles that guide civil debate and restore a more rational and respectful dialogue.
Contributors to this volume explore various aspects of Israelophobia, including its historical and contemporary dimensions. They address issues such as the connection between classic antisemitism and anti-Zionism, the unbalanced criticism of Israel, the threat of these sentiments to Israel's security, and the differentiation between legitimate criticism and anti-Semitism.
Collectively, the contributors confront comparisons between Israel and apartheid South Africa, critique commonly used "buzzwords" and legal distortions against Israel, and analyze the intersection between postmodernism and anti-Zionism. They delve deeply into themes such as the transformation of anti-Zionism into a contemporary form of antisemitism, the ideological origins of Israelophobia, the disguising of anti-Israel sentiment as political critique, and the impact of postmodernism and intersectionality on discussions about Israel in academia and Western campuses.
This book aims to provide practical guidance for government officials, diplomats, experts, journalists, academics, and community leaders, with the overarching goal of fostering meaningful discussions about Israel's relationship with its neighbors in the Middle East.
Methodology:
This book is the result of urgent and extensive consultations at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs during 2019. The consultations centered around the spike in violent antisemitic attacks against Jews in Europe and the United States and the simultaneous and intensifying defamation, delegitimization, and demonization of Israel – the Jewish collective. Israelophobia in Iran, the Arab states, and other Muslim-majority countries requires a separate, exhaustive study.
JCPA fellow Fiamma Nirenstein, a leading European scholar on anti-Semitism, has used the term “Israelophobia” for nearly two decades, characterizing Europe’s hostility towards Israel, which it insists is mere political criticism.