The French parliament’s much needed moral clarity on antisemitism

The operational impact of such a declarative resolution should not be taken lightly.

By ISAAC HERZOG
French President Emmanuel Macron attends the opening ceremony of the France-Israel season event in Paris. (photo credit: CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON/POOL VIA REUTERS)
French President Emmanuel Macron attends the opening ceremony of the France-Israel season event in Paris.
(photo credit: CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON/POOL VIA REUTERS)
Debates about the “new” antisemitism and the “old” antisemitism make for thought-provoking discussions, but with Jew-hatred steadily rising worldwide, what is abundantly clear is that such perceived distinctions must be cast aside to acknowledge a crucial reality: It is all the same poisonous antisemitism, it has the same targets, and it must be combated in uncompromising fashion.
Therein lies the significance of the French parliament’s recent adoption of a resolution that defines hatred of the State of Israel, justified solely by its perception of being a Jewish collectivity, as antisemitism – thereby acting as a dual beacon against antisemitism and hatred of Israel.
France’s resolution uniquely bridges past and present in recognizing that today’s antisemitism, which cloaks itself as anti-Israel sentiment, is just as intolerable as the millennia-old scourge that historian Robert Wistrich described as “the longest hatred.”
Reinforcing French President Emmanuel Macron’s landmark announcement this past February that anti-Zionism is one of the contemporary forms of antisemitism, France has now joined a dozen European countries as well as the European Parliament in accepting the antisemitism definition drafted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. In doing so, Paris has spoken up loudly and clearly against antisemitism in all forms – especially the variety in which Jew-hatred attempts to disguise itself as a mere candid opinion about a particular country’s politics. But antisemitism, in the words of French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, is not an opinion: it is an angry passion.
The operational impact of such a declarative resolution should not be taken lightly, given the global resurgence of violent and deadly antisemitism from the extreme Left to the radical Right, from fundamentalist Islamists to white supremacists, from Halle to Jersey.
According to the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, 90% of Europe’s Jews feel antisemitism is rising in their home country. At the same time, France has seen alarming growth in hate, prejudice and xenophobia over the years, and many manifestations of contemporary antisemitism and specifically antisemitism masquerading as anti-Zionism. A recent report by France’s National Human Rights Advisory Committee found that antisemitic acts in 2018 increased more than 70% in the country compared to the previous year.
The French parliament’s decision represents an important step toward a more secure future for the nation’s Jews. As United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently told UNESCO, “Such a definition can serve as a basis for law enforcement, as well as preventive policies.”
The groundbreaking nature of the parliament’s move hearkens back to the time of French novelist Émile Zola, who led the fight against antisemitism as a leading figure in the exoneration of falsely accused and convicted Jewish army officer Alfred Dreyfus. Zola stood tall in supporting the right to live a Jewish life without fear. More than 120 years after Zola’s famed “J’Accuse...!” letter appeared in the L’Aurore newspaper, it is only fitting that France once again leads the way in the public struggle against the hatred of Jews, be it straightforward or disguised as a political view.
Guterres understands what Macron’s detractors in the antisemitism debate fail to comprehend: that old-school antisemitism has taken new-age forms, and that the tools required to fight Jew-hatred must be adapted to its sly present-day appearance.
The French parliament’s historic decision also underscores the importance of the Jewish Agency’s new strategic plan to serve as a hub addressing the central challenges facing the Jewish people for the coming decade, including by mapping and spearheading world Jewry’s uncompromising assault on antisemitism.
Following the hundreds of violent and sometimes fatal attacks against Jews across the globe in recent years, I applaud and salute France’s moral clarity and political courage in speaking up for truth and reason – and look forward to other nations following suit.