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New
anti-Semitism disguised by hatred of Israel, report says
Jews worldwide are facing a new form of anti-Semitism
disguised by hatred toward Israel, in addition to more traditional forms of
anti-Semitism, a new US report said Thursday.
"This new anti-Semitism is common throughout the
Middle East and in Muslim communities in Europe, but it is not confined to
these populations," the US State Department said in a report for 2007.
It said United Nations bodies, for example, are
frequently asked to "commission investigations of what often are
sensationalized reports of alleged atrocities and other violations of human
rights by Israel," it said.
While the motive may be to defuse a crisis or offer a
forum to channel anger, the effect of "unremitting criticism of
Israel" bolsters the idea that the Jewish state is a leading source of
"abuse of the rights of others," it said.
At the same time UN bodies often fail to "pay
attention to regimes that are demonstrably guilty of grave violations," it
added.
"Comparing contemporary Israeli policy to that of
the Nazis is increasingly commonplace," said the report from the State
Department which is required under legislation passed in 2004 to document and
combat anti-Semitic acts worldwide.
"Anti-Semitism couched as criticism of Zionism or
Israel often escapes condemnation since it can be more subtle than traditional
forms of anti-Semitism, and promoting anti-Semitic attitudes may not be the
conscious intent of the purveyor," it said.
"Israel's policies and practices must be subject
to responsible criticism and scrutiny to the same degree as those of any other
country," it said.
Critics of Israel have a "responsibility to
consider the effect their actions may have in prompting hatred of Jews,"
it said, adding that hostility toward Israel has at times manifested itself in
violence toward Jews.
It added that there was a sudden increase in
anti-Semitic incidents worldwide during the war between the Lebanese militant
group Hezbollah and Israel in 2006.
The report singled out a number of leaders, governments
and state-sponsored institutions for fanning the flames of anti-Semitism, with
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the top of the list.
It also took to task the Syrian government, Venezuelan
President Hugo Chavez, as well as the government-backed Venezuelan, Saudi
Arabian and Egyptian media.
"Chavez has publicly demonized Israel and utilized
stereotypes about Jewish financial influence and control," it said.
More traditional anti-Semitism remains a problem in
Russia, it said. "In France,
Germany, the United Kingdom, and elsewhere, anti-Semitic violence remains a
significant concern," it said.
"Recent increases in anti-Semitic incidents have
been documented in Argentina, Australia, Canada, South Africa and beyond,"
it added.
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