Four Jewish organizations from Portugal and Spain have urged Justice Minister Yariv Levin to enact a law criminalizing antisemitism and the persecution of IDF soldiers, including acts committed abroad.
Signed by representatives of B’nai B’rith Portugal, the Porto Holocaust Museum, the Hispanic-Jewish Foundation and ACOM, a pro-Israel advocacy group in Spain, the letter stresses the urgent need to protect Jews and Israelis worldwide amid rising antisemitism. Levin has ordered a review of the proposal.
The letter accuses Western elites, including those in Portugal and Spain, of failing to combat antisemitism, sometimes enabling it through inaction. It highlights cases where IDF soldiers face harassment abroad, even on vacation, with anti-Israel groups like the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) labeling them war criminals and calling for their arrest and prosecution.
“We believe this law is essential for the security of Jews and Israelis globally,” the letter read, proposing that Israel define antisemitism as a crime applicable extraterritorially unless other nations prove effective enforcement.
The groups outline two types of offenses: “harm” offenses, involving verbal or physical acts against Jews, their property, institutions, or Israel’s right to exist, intended to foster fear or negative stereotypes; and “endangerment” offenses, targeting officials who fail to condemn or investigate antisemitic acts, thereby enabling impunity.
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The proposed “harm” offense includes “verbal or physical expressions against Jewish or non-Jewish individuals, their property, community or religious institutions, aimed at creating fear or hostility or promoting negative perceptions of Jews through accusations of fraud, disloyalty or conspiracies.” The “endangerment” offense applies to officials who “knowingly adopt a passive stance, encouraging impunity and societal indifference.”
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The letter cites incidents fueling fear of rising antisemitism: in 2024, a Porto protest blamed Jewish business owners for a housing crisis, with no police investigation or political condemnation despite complaints.
In 2025, a reported plot to poison Israelis at a Portuguese music festival received minimal media coverage, and in 2025, Valencia airport security forcibly removed 50 French Jewish youths from a flight, violently detaining their 21-year-old guide, with no Spanish government response.
“Since the Holocaust, the freedom to act antisemitically has not been so widespread or hard to curb,” the groups warned. Though partly symbolic, the law could deter antisemitic acts by enabling Israel to investigate and prosecute offenders abroad, even in absentia.
The organizations call for swift action, expressing hope for ongoing dialogue with Israel’s Justice Ministry to bolster Jewish community security worldwide.