International Spotlight on Anti-Semitism
Ahmed Shaheed, Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, recently submitted a report to the United Nations Human Rights Council exposing an increased usage of anti-Semitic tropes throughout the entire political spectrum. The report singled out white supremacists, particularly neo-Nazis, and radical Islamist groups for using “slogans, images, stereotypes, and conspiracy theories meant to incite and justify hostility, discrimination, and violence against Jews,” according to worldisraelnews.com. Shaheed exhorted the UN to invest in education and training to recognize and confront this form of racism. While justifying legal political expression against any country (including Israel), Shaheed denounced any movement that relies on anti-Semitic tropes for its operation, which the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement practices prominently.
This report confirms internationally what we’ve known for a long time—anti-Semitism is only getting worse, and Jewish discrimination is still a large issue that must be addressed. It’s noteworthy that hatred of the Jewish people isn’t localized to one political side. This makes it clear that anti-Semitism is more than just a tool for a political agenda; it’s an unrestrained evil worldwide. Now that the problem has been officially presented to the UN, hopefully world powers will use this ultimate platform to take steps toward reducing anti-Semitism. It’s encouraging to see that the BDS movement is not considered untouchable. Historically it has seemed to have been given a pass since it depends on methods besides violence to harm Israel. Thankfully, Shaheed’s report bypassed BDS’s sneaky methods of anti-Semitism by describing it is as such and standing against it. Consider this report a huge step forward for the good of Israel, one with considerable influence and lasting impact for the Jewish people.
(Source: World Israel News)
