Diplomats urged to confront anti-Semitism

Diplomats from around the world have been urged by Canada's former justice minister, Irwin Cotler, to recognize and take on a new form of anti-Semitism which has set the State of Israel as its target.

In a passionate speech delivered to conclude the two-day Global Forum Against Anti-Semitism, hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem, Cotler declared: "The new anti-Semitism marches under the guise of anti-racism," adding that its disguise gave it a new level of sophistication.

He cited a number of indicators to alert observers to the new racism, which included "state-sanctioned incitement to genocide," the epicenter of which is "Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's Iran."

Despite challenges by liberal sections of Iranian society, Cotler said, Iran's regime continued to advocate "the most horrific crime, genocide... propelled by the desire to obtain nuclear missiles." He called on diplomats to begin "a series of diplomatic, legal, and public initiatives to hold Ahmadinejad to account," adding that the "first country to do so will be commended by history."

"At the very least, put Ahmadinejad on a watch list," Cotler said, condemning the fact that the Iranian president was "feted as a celebrity at the UN."

He then went on to identify political anti-Semitism, which was "the denial of Israel's right to exist," and which sought to create a "Middle East without Israel."

"That is the real apartheid," Cotler said, adding: "When a Middle East has no room for Israel, no matter what its borders are, that is a true apartheid." The former Canadian minister said the latest form of anti-Semitism sought to tag Israel with the lables of "apartheid" and "Nazi" because they compel action "towards the dismantling of the State of Israel. What do you do with an apartheid state? You dismantle it," he explained.

"It's time to unmask, expose... and take back the language," Cotler said.

'Insult to all decent people'

The United Nations' abysmal record in singling Israel out for condemnation was also slammed by Cotler, who said: "For 35 years, the UN Human Rights commission has picked out Israel. Every year, Israel is singled out for country-specific condemnations. Agenda 8, for example, will condemn Israel in the occupied territories, while agenda 9 condemns human rights violations in the rest of the world."

Countries in which genocides took place, such as Rwanda and Sudan, were not dealt with by the UN's committees, Cotler said.

Earlier, the conference heard British MP John Mann, chairman of the parliamentary committee against anti-Semitism in the UK, say that he deliberately chose non-Jews to take part in the committee, and added that they were shocked when they studied the evidence of anti-Semitism in Britain.

"We did not shy away from the difficult issues, such as anti-Semitism in the Muslim community, or the line between legitimate criticism of Israel and anti-Semitism," Mann said.

He added that his report had a positive impact in the war on anti-Semitism, at least within the British parliament.

"We see anti-Semitism as an insult to all decent people," Mann said, adding: "Racism destroys our humanity. The elected leaders of the human race need to respond."

German Ambassador Benedikt Haller said his country was "deeply shocked by the statements of Ahmadinejad. We were appalled when Iran shamefully attempted to deny the Holocaust."

"As a response to this attempt to falsify history, we gathered serious historians, who noted that the Holocaust is the most documented event in human history. And if anyone has doubts about it, they should come to Germany," he added.