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Fears new definition of antisemitism will stifle criticism of Israel | |
(35 minutes later) | |
You report that the government is going to adopt a “new definition” of antisemitism in order to prevent an “over-sweeping condemnation of Israel” (Britain to pioneer new antisemitism definition, 12 December). The new definition has nothing to do with opposing antisemitism, it is merely designed to silence public debate on Israel’s crimes against the Palestinians. Antisemitic incidents comprise about 2% of all hate crime. Why then the concentration on antisemitism and not on Islamophobia, which is far more widespread? The suspicion must be that the real concern is not with antisemitism but with Britain’s support for Israel. | You report that the government is going to adopt a “new definition” of antisemitism in order to prevent an “over-sweeping condemnation of Israel” (Britain to pioneer new antisemitism definition, 12 December). The new definition has nothing to do with opposing antisemitism, it is merely designed to silence public debate on Israel’s crimes against the Palestinians. Antisemitic incidents comprise about 2% of all hate crime. Why then the concentration on antisemitism and not on Islamophobia, which is far more widespread? The suspicion must be that the real concern is not with antisemitism but with Britain’s support for Israel. |
Israel claims to be “the only democracy in the Middle East.” Palestinians who live under Israeli occupation are governed by a wholly different set of laws than Jewish settlers. This makes Israel the world’s only apartheid state and thus deserving of strong condemnation and the target of boycott, divestment and sanctions. We agree that it is antisemitic to associate Jews with the actions of the Israeli state. Unfortunately this is precisely what the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition will achieve through perpetuating the stereotype that all Jews support the Israeli state. The IHRA will strengthen not weaken antisemitism. There is a very simple definition of antisemitism from Oxford University’s Brian Klug. Antisemitism is “a form of hostility towards Jews as ‘Jews’.” The IHRA definition smuggles in anti-Zionism, in the guise of antisemitism, as a means of protecting the Israeli state and thus western foreign policy.Tony GreensteinJacqueline WalkerMiriam MargolyesProfessor Haim BresheethProfessor Nira Yuval-DavisMichael Sackin Jews for Justice for PalestiniansDr Derek Summerfield King’s CollegeProfessor Roger IredaleAveril Parkinson Cambridge Palestine Solidarity CampaignDr Vacy Vlazna Coordinator, Justice for Palestine MattersVicky Moller Child survivor of the HolocaustDr Cathy Rozel FarnworthRica BirdChantal CameronRobert CohenBrian ChinneryMike CushmanDeborah DarnesPatrick DarnesHelen DicksonTony DickinsonGreg DropkinMark ElfDeborah FinkKenny FrydeTerry GalloglyJudy GranvilleJames HallWilliam HannaJenny HardacreAbe HayeemAlain HertzmannDoug HoltonGrahame HumphreysJohn Leigh-BrownPenny Leigh-BrownLeah LevaneLes LevidowRichard LightbownBeverley LloydKathy McCubbingElizabeth MorleyDiana NeslenCaroline O’ReillyEdmond O’ReillyJuergen PeterNicola Pratt University of WarwickRoland RanceJanine ReedBronwen RobertsDonald SaundersIan SavilleMiriam ScharfRichard SeafordRoddy SlorachCharles StuartJean SullivanBernice WalkerAdam WaterhouseEric WilloughbyDorothy WilsonNaomi Wimborne-Idrissi | Israel claims to be “the only democracy in the Middle East.” Palestinians who live under Israeli occupation are governed by a wholly different set of laws than Jewish settlers. This makes Israel the world’s only apartheid state and thus deserving of strong condemnation and the target of boycott, divestment and sanctions. We agree that it is antisemitic to associate Jews with the actions of the Israeli state. Unfortunately this is precisely what the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition will achieve through perpetuating the stereotype that all Jews support the Israeli state. The IHRA will strengthen not weaken antisemitism. There is a very simple definition of antisemitism from Oxford University’s Brian Klug. Antisemitism is “a form of hostility towards Jews as ‘Jews’.” The IHRA definition smuggles in anti-Zionism, in the guise of antisemitism, as a means of protecting the Israeli state and thus western foreign policy.Tony GreensteinJacqueline WalkerMiriam MargolyesProfessor Haim BresheethProfessor Nira Yuval-DavisMichael Sackin Jews for Justice for PalestiniansDr Derek Summerfield King’s CollegeProfessor Roger IredaleAveril Parkinson Cambridge Palestine Solidarity CampaignDr Vacy Vlazna Coordinator, Justice for Palestine MattersVicky Moller Child survivor of the HolocaustDr Cathy Rozel FarnworthRica BirdChantal CameronRobert CohenBrian ChinneryMike CushmanDeborah DarnesPatrick DarnesHelen DicksonTony DickinsonGreg DropkinMark ElfDeborah FinkKenny FrydeTerry GalloglyJudy GranvilleJames HallWilliam HannaJenny HardacreAbe HayeemAlain HertzmannDoug HoltonGrahame HumphreysJohn Leigh-BrownPenny Leigh-BrownLeah LevaneLes LevidowRichard LightbownBeverley LloydKathy McCubbingElizabeth MorleyDiana NeslenCaroline O’ReillyEdmond O’ReillyJuergen PeterNicola Pratt University of WarwickRoland RanceJanine ReedBronwen RobertsDonald SaundersIan SavilleMiriam ScharfRichard SeafordRoddy SlorachCharles StuartJean SullivanBernice WalkerAdam WaterhouseEric WilloughbyDorothy WilsonNaomi Wimborne-Idrissi |
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