Israeli government report accuses West of bolstering antisemitism by criticizing Israel

Several organizations have documented a sharp rise in antisemitic rhetoric and actions after Hamas mounted its shock assault on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 1,200 people and kidnapping 251. The Diaspora Ministry report, in contrast, devoted much of its focus to assigning blame to different entities for allowing hate speech and activity to persist and went further than others in linking anti-Israel sentiment to antisemitism.

“This shocking data highlights the ongoing failure of international institutions and many Western countries,” Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli said in a press release. “The Israeli government will not hesitate to point out those who encourage antisemitism — be it governments, universities, or social networks.”

The report synthesized data from various sources, including watchdog organizations like the Anti-Defamation League and UN Watch, global research institutions and Jewish umbrella organizations in different countries, the ministry said.

The publication comes just over a month after the ministry was lambasted for embracing far-right European politicians and disparaging left-wing organizations at an international conference on combating antisemitism it organized in Jerusalem.

While the ministry devoted a handful of pages to the Arab and Muslim world, where accusations of endemic antisemitism persist, the lion’s share of the report focuses on the West; Iran, where some 8,000 Jews live under the regime’s Islamist repression, is mentioned only in the context of Tehran’s support for anti-Israel activities and terror.

In Canada, the report found a “significant increase in antisemitic incidents in intensity and forms not previously seen” in the country following Oct. 7, 2023, counting a 670% jump in anti-Jewish incidents over the previous year.

“In 2024, Canada earned the dubious distinction as ‘champion of antisemitism,” a ministry press release accompanying the report read.

Former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau’s condemnation of Israel at the United Nations in December 2023, just two months after the Oct. 7 massacre, helped fuel that country’s rampant Jew-hatred, the report alleged.

Trudeau stepped down from his position in January 2025, and was replaced by Liberal Mark Carney in national elections last week.

Canada has made efforts to quell rising antisemitism within its borders, although Jewish groups say much more is needed.

In Australia, where a string of arson attacks and other vandalism at synagogues and elsewhere has shaken the Jewish community, the report recorded a 320% jump in antisemitic incidents compared to the months before the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.

In the United States, antisemitic incidents rose by 200%, the report said.

The report also quoted from surveys showing many European Jews fearing for their future in the Continent. A CRIF poll cited in the study found 64% of French citizens believe Jews have valid reasons to fear living there. In Germany, the ADL found that 80% of Jews reported feeling less safe, while in Britain, 90% of Jewish respondents told the Campaign Against Antisemitism that they avoid city centers during anti-Israel demonstrations.

The report largely tied countries’ responses to antisemitism to the level of official criticism aimed at the Jewish state.

South Africa, Ireland and Spain were all highlighted for unfriendly stances toward Israel, which the ministry alleged heightened uneasiness among Jews there.

“Their asymmetrical application of normative principles directly undermines Jewish communities’ senses of belonging and security within these societies, as documented through both quantitative and qualitative research,” the report said.

France, Britain, Canada and Australia were described as “morally ambiguous” for taking steps to fight antisemitism while simultaneously criticizing Israel to a “disproportionate” extent, endangering local Jewish communities.

The report accused French President Emmanuel Macron of helping legitimize antisemitic rhetoric from France’s far-left by making harmful statements about Israel’s military actions in Gaza.

In the U.K., the Labour government was criticized for its arms embargo against Israel, and the state-owned broadcaster BBC was called out for refusing to call Hamas members “terrorists” and for covering up antisemitic complaints.

Only the United States and Germany were recognized as fully supporting the fight against antisemitism in the report.

International organizations were criticized for maintaining a double standard on Israel compared to the rest of the world. In 2024, the United Nations General Assembly passed 17 resolutions condemning Israel, and only six against all other countries combined, the report said.

The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism, which the report urged governments worldwide to adopt, says criticism of Israel that places a double standard on the country is a form of anti-Jewish hate.

The report also backed the government’s contention that cases against Israel in the Hague are antisemitic. Arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes in Gaza were listed in the report as “among the most severe antisemitic incidents of 2024.”

ICC prosecutor Karim Khan has vociferously denied antisemitic motivations.

On social media, TikTok was singled out as a major source of antisemitic content, with the report quoting a former senior official at TikTok Israel who called the platform an “existential danger to Israel.”

Many of the people responsible for TikTok’s advertising policies support Hamas, the Houthis and other terrorist organizations, while Israel’s sponsored campaigns on the short-form video platform have all been blocked, the report alleges.

TikTok has said it works to block hate speech on its platform. The social network has initiated several projects to promote Holocaust remembrance on its site, among other causes.

The report noted that all major social media networks, including TikTok, made efforts to curb antisemitic messaging after the Oct. 7 attack.

However, these efforts have been insufficiently enforced. During the most recent U.S. elections, Instagram removed 40% of antisemitic content from its platform, Facebook removed 24%, X removed 22%, and TikTok removed just 17%, the report claims.

According to the report, 2,087 antisemitic incidents were recorded on college campuses between June 2023 and May 2024, 477% more than a year earlier.

Columbia University in New York was labeled the most antisemitic campus in the U.S., with 127 antisemitic incidents in 2024, of which 90% were linked with far-left movements. UCLA earned a distant second with 63 incidents, followed by the University of Michigan (35) and Harvard University (32), according to data from the Amcha Initiative cited in the report. PJC