World's latent anti-Semitism

The interviewee, a well known newspaper veteran, obviously asked me about Israel today and the conflict in the Middle East. He presented several articles (translated into English) that I had published in recent months, and asked me whether I was not exaggerating in declaring that anti-Semitism is on the rise worldwide.

"Perhaps you are mistaken?" he said. "Perhaps it's not anti-Semitism, but rather, anti-Zionism and opposition to the Israeli leadership's conduct towards the Palestinians."

And this is the root of the problem. For years anti-Semites have been hiding behind the argument of their opposition to Zionism and Israel's policies in regard to the Palestinian issue. "We have nothing against the Jews," they reiterate repeatedly," yet we do not agree with Israel's policies."

This is a blatant lie. Are the attacks on synagogues and community institutions, desecration of cemeteries and assault of orthodox Jews an expression of "anti-Zionism"?

Was the murder of a young Jew wearing a skullcap and the attempted "lynch" of another (both in France) carried out in "opposition to Israel's policies"? Last month, half of Ukraine's population announced that there are "too many Jews in their country" and that "their numbers should be minimized." Is this also anti-Zionism?

A few days ago a reputable German institute publicized a comprehensive survey pertaining to the Germans' attitude towards Israel. The results of the survey are worrying: It appears that 44 percent of the population has a negative opinion regarding Israel and that a sweeping majority of Germans (78 percent) believes that Germany should treat Israel as it does any other nation.

As if the grandparents or the parents of the respondents did not partake in the murder of six million Jews. As if there are no Jews still living, who miraculously survived the German style "final solution."

'No to the Jewish State'

That very same outspoken apathy by 78 percent of the new German population towards the Jewish State, which was founded on the ruins of European Jewry, is nothing but an expression of latent anti-Semitism.

Otherwise they would have responded by saying that although Germany is committed to the survivors and the inheritors of those who perished, they would express reservation towards the State of Israel's policies. But they simply said: "No" to Israel. "No" to the Jewish State.

When Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad repeatedly says outright that Israel should be wiped off the face of the earth, he is not saying that "the Zionists should be wiped out." He is demanding that the entire Jewish State be wiped out.

The fact that not a single state has demanded that Iran be ousted from the United Nations due to its wild incitement against another state - which is also a member of the organization - is the best indication of the world's attitude and stance towards the Jews. The absence of protest testifies that the madman from Teheran is not alone.

No, there is no anti-Zionism and there is no anti-Israel, there is only anti-Semitism, even if it is presented in a different guise.