4. As already mentioned, anti-Jewish activities have crossed borders
and continents with varying degrees of force. It is clear that the countries
in which the greatest number of incidents was registered are those with
large Arab and Muslim populations. At the head of this list stands France,
where dozens of incidents of attacks on Jews were reported in which,
a wide variety of means were employed. France has a very large Arab
immigrant population, from among which many took revenge on Jews for
measures taken by Israel against the Palestinians. There were a great
number of incidents which included physical attacks and attempted attacks
against individual Jews at well known "neighborhoods" Jewish.
Attacks including acts of arson, tossing of Molotov Cocktails, stone
throwing and destruction of property against synagogues, schools, Jewish
centers, cemeteries and the like. In addition, there were threats made
using various means, constant propaganda against Israel and against
Jews seen as identified with it. It should be noted here that for a
very long time the French establishment preferred to ignore the anti-Jewish
incidents. It was only after a number of serious incidents such as burning
down a school in Marseille and attacks on Jews in Paris, that any kind
of reaction was forthcoming and some comments were made in this connection.
In was actually the French media that warned of what appeared to be
an ugly wave of unbridled antisemitism.
5. France's neighbor, Belgium, also experienced a large number of extremely
serious anti-Jewish incidents. Prominent among these incidents were
those of physical violence against the Jews, among them the attack on
the Chief Rabbi of Brussels at the railroad station in the city. The
Belgian establishment's highly critical attitude towards Israel's policies
on the West Bank and Gaza, and the attempts to bring Israeli Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon to trial because of his "involvement" in the
Sabra and Shatilla massacre in the Peace For Galilee Campaign, contributed
to the anti-Jewish and anti-Israel atmosphere, and fueled the hatred
and violent incidents against the Jewish community. In England a large
number of incidents were recorded, originating within the radical Islamic
community which is very active there.
6. In the United States and Canada, many incidents gave rise to feelings
of concern within the large Jewish communities in those countries. After
the 11th September attacks, radical right- wing elements joined ranks
accusing Israel of responsibility for the attacks. Among other things,
these groups justified the attacks because of the close ties between
the American administration, Israel and the Jews.
7. In Australia, the number of incidents reported was large in relation
to the usual number in that country. Here, too, the impression left
by what is happening in the Middle East was also felt. An unusual number
of incidents were reported in The Netherlands and Switzerland, where
the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has given rise to attacks and attempted
attacks against the Jewish communities in those countries. In Germany,
a number of incidents were reported, but it is clear that the stringent
measures taken by the authorities there designed to repress the phenomenon
as well as the increased protection of Jewish institutions, cut the
wave off before it could procede any further. In Denmark, the appointment
of Mr. Carmi Gillon as ambassador to that country, gave rise to a wave
of political and other utterances which created an anti-Israeli atomsphere,
resulting in increased anti-Jewish activity there.
8. In Russia, anti-Jewish activities continued with no real connection
to the Middle East conflict. The propaganda and the attacks against
Jewish institutions continued in the pheriphery outside Moscow. In the
CIS states there has been something of a moderation in anti-Jewish activities.
Nevertheless, the publication of anti-Jewish propaganda and articles
continues.
9. In the Eastern Euopean countries Hungary was prominent as a leader
of anti-Jewish activities. The Miep Party, headed by Istvan Csurka,
which is represented in Parliament, led a strong anti-Jewish line and
did not mince words in its criticism of Jewish-Israeli control over
major worldwide processes. In the other countries of the region a relatively
small number of exceptionally violent incidents were reported.
10. The Latin American continent stood out this year in the relatively
small number of anti-Jewish incidents of all kinds, in relation to other
parts of the world. Exceptions to this were in both Chile and Brazil
in which there was more activity of this kind than had been in the past,
although it did not deteriorate into acts of violence against the Jewish
community. Mention should also be made of the second attempt to convene
a conference of neo-Nazi activists in Bolivia (the first attempt to
convene the conference had been in Chile the previous year). The attempt
failed in the wake of public and police action, and in the end only
five people attended.
11. In South Africa, there was relatively little violent anti-Jewish
activity. Nevertheless, this year will be recorded as an exceptional
year in the wake of the United Nations Conference on Human Rights held
in Durban in September. The Conference, reached a record high both in
radical messages voiced there (especially in the course of the discussions
by the non-government organizations, but also during the general Conference's
discussions), and in the level of violence seen at the demonstrations
held there. The major message included a comparison between Judaism/Zionism
and racism, equating measures taken by Israel with Apartheid and the
like. The Conference was characterized by the attempt the Palestinian
made, abetted by some Arab countries to "highjack" the event,
making Israel's attitude towards the Palestinians the focal point of
the Conference. If so doing they prevented discussions of other issues
which were the concern of the majority of the participants in the conference.
12. In the Arab world, propaganda was even more virulent, moving away
from the usual anti-Israeli rhetoric to include anti- Jewish comments
of similar virulence. The messages included comparing IDF soldiers and
Israeli leaders to Nazis, the use of blood libels, and considerable
use of Holocaust denial as a means of defaming Israel, Zionism and Jews
in general. The dissemination of these messages was especially prominent
in Syria, in a series of statements made by senior officials including
that by President Bashar Assad during the visit of Pope John Paul II,
to the effect that "Jews are traitors to the tradition of God the
same as they were traitors to the tradition of Jesus Christ and the
Prophet Muhammad". There were also the words of Syrian Defence
Minister Mustafa Tlas, who called on every Muslim to kill one Jew, thus
providing a solution to the problems in the Middle East as well as others
created by the Jews. In Egypt and Jordan, virulent anti-Jewish messages,
both voiced and written, appeared in the media, both establishment and
non-establishment. This Arab propaganda made wide use of caricatures,
some reminiscent of Nazi era propaganda. Of special note is the "satirical"
program broadcast over Abu Dhabi television in which the Israeli Prime
Minister was portrayed drinking the blood of Arab children.
13. In those Arab and Muslim countries which still have Jewish communities,
the Jews felt threatened in view of the anti-Israel demonstrations that
might have deteriorated into activities against the Jewish communities
themselves. In Morocco there were relatively few incidents of attacks
against the Jews. This escalation was prevented by an unequivocal statement
by the King and forceful action on the part of the police. In Iran,
despite the obvious animosity of the authorities towards the existence
of Israel, no unusual incidents against the Jews were reported.
14. The issue of Holocaust denial was, as already mentioned, a major
component of anti-Jewish propaganda, in Iran as well. Iran sponsored
a Holocaust Denial Conference which was to have been held in Beirut
in April 2001. The initiator of the idea was Swiss Holocaust denier
who had found political asylum in Iran. The Conference was cancelled
under pressure brought to bear by various countries on the Lebanese
government. An alternative conference to the one which had been cancelled
was held in Jordan under the heading of "Why was the Conference
in Beirut Canceled"?
15. In most regions of the world the level of anti-Jewish activities
in 2001 (actually beginning with the outbreak of the Al-Aqsa intifadeh
in September 2000) exceeded that of previous years. This was expressed
mainly in attacks and attempted attacks against Jews carried out for
the most part by Arabs and Muslims in various countries, and in the
increased intensity of combined anti-Jewish and anti-Zionist propaganda.
Anti-Jewish activities of the radical right has continued at the same
rate as in previous years. Parallel to this, what surfaced in all its
severity was the cooperation between various elements hostile to the
Jews for various reasons of their own: the radical right as part of
their antisemitic tradition and Arabs whose motivations are both religious
and political. These two were joined by the radical left which expressed
its basic hostility towards Israel and its support for the Palestinian
cause through the use of anti- Jewish motifs. The ideological and practical
basis for this cooperation was well defined by Bill Roper (one of the
leaders of the radical right in the United States who said after the
11th September attacks when referring to cooperation with radical Arab
elements "The enemy of my enemy is now my friend".
16. One of the more prominent characteristics of anti-Jewish activity
is the greater daring of the attackers. In the course of the year we
witnessed violent incidents such as attempts to run over groups of worshipers,
large numbers of cases of arson against Jewish institutions etc. This
daring is, in our assessment, indicative of the degree of determination
to act. This determiniation has its roots in the dramatic increase in
propaganda in all its forms, and in the dissemination of the message
that all means are justified to act against anyone connected with Israel,
first and foremost the Jewish communities all over the world.
17. The Internet, which has for the past several years served as a
major propaganda tool, has gained impetus and senior status in incitement
and the passing on of hostile messages. The web has served as a means
of creating new ideological and organizational ties and of reinforcing
the existing ones. Surfing the web leaves one with the impression that
it has been taken over by pro-Arab and anti-Jewish elements with no
difficulty at all. It is worth mentioning that attempts have been made
to use legal means against site operators for various reasons, and some
of these efforts have succeeded. One example was when the French court
handed down a decision forbidding the "Yahoo" site from allowing
the sale of Nazi memorabilia over the web. In the United States this
decision was met with criticism to the extent where a court decision
negated the right of the French court to hand down decisions concerning
American firms.