{"id":116336,"date":"2024-10-12T17:00:59","date_gmt":"2024-10-12T15:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=116336"},"modified":"2024-10-06T12:32:42","modified_gmt":"2024-10-06T10:32:42","slug":"12-00-97","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=116336","title":{"rendered":"The media must stop presenting antisemitism as legitimate criticism – opinion"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>The media must stop presenting antisemitism as legitimate criticism – opinion<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

DAVID BEN-BASAT<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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The Palestinian ideology, which views the land on which Israel was established as occupied territory \u201cfrom the river to the sea\u201d aims for the Jewish state to cease to exist.<\/strong>.<\/h4>\n

Washington, D.C., USA November 14, 2023: Pro-Israel supporters stand, draped in the Israeli flag, with arms around each other. \/ (photo credit: SHUTTERSTOCK)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/section>\n

The bloody attack and the hostile media coverage that followed it marked a significant rise in antisemitism today.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/section>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/section>\n

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 \u201cfrom the river to the sea\u201d aims for the Jewish state to cease to exist.<\/span><\/p>\n

This picture shows projectiles above Jerusalem, on October 1, 2024. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said a missile attack under way against Israel on October 1 was in response to the killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah last week as well as that of the Hamas leader (credit: MENAHEM KAHANA \/ AFP)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The\u00a0Islamic Republic of Iran<\/a>\u00a0– harking back to the Persian empire of old \u2013 seeks to destroy the Jews (and the Jewish state); and Palestinians, along with the antisemitic Turkish leader Tayyip Erdogan, share the same murderous ideology.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/section>\n

A history of antisemitism<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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 \u2013 and the persecution by the Spanish Inquisition of those who had converted.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jews were accused of all the world\u2019s troubles, from the Black Death in the Middle Ages, which wiped out over a third of Europe\u2019s population, to the murder of children (known as \u201cblood libels\u201d), claimed Jews used the blood of Christian youngsters to make matzah for Passover. Today\u2019s antisemitism mirrors the antisemitism of the past, the same one we thought had nearly disappeared after World War II.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/section>\n

The world that stood by while the Nazis murdered six million Jews is standing by once again. History is beginning to repeat itself.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/section>\n

Modern Jew hatred<\/strong><\/h4>\n

TODAY\u2019S ANTISEMITISM is fueled by the media under the guise of legitimate criticism of Israel. The British newspaper The Independent calls Israel \u201cchild killers,\u201d while the BBC and SKY news networks in the United Kingdom rarely cover Hamas\u2019s crimes and instead focus on one-sided and uninformed criticism of Israel. This is not journalism; it is ignorance and antisemitism.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The term \u201cchild killers\u201d is an old Christian phrase, rehashed by writers in the British press. The Norwegian antisemitic writer Jostein Gaarder also uses the term \u201cchild killers.\u201d In his ignorance, Gaarder does not understand that a Muslim takeover of his country is only a matter of time.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/section>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/section>\n

Last month, Flemish columnist\u00a0Herman Brusselmans<\/a>\u00a0accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of child murder in his regular column in the Flemish publication HUMO in Belgium.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Among other things, Brusselmans wrote, \u201cI am so angry I want to shove a sharp knife into the throat of every Jew I encounter.\u201d Thankfully, after reading his repugnant words, the European Jewish Association (EJA) appealed to Belgium\u2019s Attorney General, demanding the arrest of the columnist for incitement to murder. The organization also contacted the magazine\u2019s editorial team, demanding they suspend the writer immediately before further calls for the murder of Jews appeared in his columns.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/section>\n

Israel\u2019s Ambassador to Belgium Idit Abum Ronsweig responded to the column: \u201cIn 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 \u2018intellectual\u2019 in a leftist magazine.\u201d She pointed out that, had similar statements been made against Muslims, there would have been a major outcry.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/section>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/section>\n

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\u2019s Diaspora Affairs Ministry and Jewish philanthropists, paints a worrying picture of the reality faced by young Jews worldwide.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/section>\n

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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/section>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/section>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/section>\n

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: \u201cFrom the river to the sea, Palestine will be free<\/a>.\u201d They are surprised when I explain that this phrase means nothing less than the destruction of Israel.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/section>\n

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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/section>\n

Once again, I urge Israel to recruit professional influencers and opinion leaders and adequately fund its public relations efforts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/section>\n

The writer is the CEO of Radios 100FM<\/strong>, honorary consul general of<\/em> Nauru, vice dean of the Consular Corps, president of the Israeli Radio Broadcasters Association, and vice president of Israel\u2019s Ambassador Club.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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The media must stop presenting antisemitism as legitimate criticism – opinion DAVID BEN-BASAT The Palestinian ideology, which views the land on which Israel was established as occupied territory \u201cfrom the river to the sea\u201d aims for the Jewish state to cease to exist.. Washington, D.C., USA November 14, 2023: Pro-Israel supporters stand, draped in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[26,24],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116336"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=116336"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116336\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":116350,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116336\/revisions\/116350"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=116336"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=116336"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=116336"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}