Antisemitism

Alongside the global spread of pro-Palestinian, anti-Israeli, and antisemitic narratives, fueled by the “green-red alliance” (formed between Islamists and radical leftists) in the West during the Israel–Hamas conflict, there is growing concern about the influence of the far-right movements, particularly in Europe. These movements see the war in the Gaza Strip as an opportunity to strengthen public support and promote their antisemitic ideology. It is crucial for the State of Israel to recognize the dangers posed by the far-right movements in the West, as well as the normalization of antisemitic narratives on both ends of the political spectrum in the public discourse following the October 7 massacre and the subsequent war. Israel should develop a long-term strategy for addressing this emerging threat, which not only endangers Israel’s interests but also undermines the security of Jews and Israelis around the world, while challenging the stability of liberal democracies.

Contrary to a common misconception, antisemitism is not a new phenomenon in Iran. It predates the Islamic Revolution and even the establishment of the State of Israel. Alongside good relations between some Persians and Jews and the economic flourishing of some in the Jewish community, and partly as an antagonistic response to those realities, anti-Jewish hatred has existed for hundreds of years in the country that has become, in today’s world, the fiercest enemy of the Jewish people.

In 2023, the level of antisemitism in Russia intensified in comparison to the previous year. Senior Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin himself, have systematically used antisemitic tropes and Holocaust distortion to promote their political interests. Statements by government representatives encouraged and legitimized antisemitic discourse in traditional media and on social networks. Following the massacre in southern Israel on October 7, the antisemitic discourse escalated even more and translated into antisemitic events in the North Caucasus republics of Russia.

In August 2017, the Israeli-German comedian and activist Shahak Shapira spray-painted tweets containing hate speech on the pavement in front of Twitter’s European headquarters in Hamburg. Shapira had previously reported those tweets to Twitter because of their harmful content. The social media network, however, refused to delete them, citing its free speech policy. The tweets Shapira painted on the street and sidewalk contained messages such as “Let’s unite and gas some Jews again. Those were good times,” “Another bunch of Kanaken [a German slur for people from the MENA region] arrived. Did they miss the exit to Auschwitz???,” or “Niggers are a plague.”1 Since social media networks emerged two decades ago, the spread of antisemitic, racist, misogynistic, homophobic, or otherwise hateful content on them has been a cause for concern.2 Social media platforms opened new paths for spreading hate as users benefit from the (perceived) anonymity and, thus, the (perceived) immunity from legal repercussions.