(MEPs are due to vote on a motion for a resolution against anti-Semitism, tabled by Sylvain Maillard, MP, on Tuesday, December 3. Controversial, this text proposes that France adopt, at the European Parliament, the definition of anti-Semitism established by the International Alliance for the Remembrance of the Holocaust (IHRA) in 2016. This includes "manifestations of hatred towards the State of Israel justified by the mere perception of the latter as a Jewish community, "recalls the text of Mr. Maillard.At the dinner of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF), February 21, Emmanuel Macron had expressed support for adoption of this non-binding definition, arguing that anti-Zionism is "one of the modern forms of anti-Semitism".)
tribune. On 3 December, the National Assembly will debate and vote on a motion for a resolution on the fight against anti-Semitism. This resolution is highly problematic.
We, Jewish scholars and intellectuals from Israel and elsewhere, including many scholars of anti-Semitism and the history of Judaism and the Holocaust, raise our voices against this motion for a resolution.
The rise of anti-Semitism in the world, including France, is of great concern to us. We regard anti-Semitism and all other forms of racism and xenophobia as a real threat against which we must fight with the utmost firmness, and urge the government and the French Parliament to do so.
While strongly emphasizing our concern, we oppose the motion for a resolution on anti-Semitism for two main reasons, and call on Members of the National Assembly not to support it.
First, the explanatory memorandum to the motion for a resolution combines anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism. He even likens anti-Zionism to anti-Semitism by stating that "To criticize the very existence of Israel as a community of Jewish citizens amounts to a hatred of the Jewish community as a whole".
For the many Jews who consider themselves anti-Zionists, this amalgam is deeply insulting
Before we continue our argument, we regret that the explanatory memorandum refers to Israel as "a community made up of Jewish citizens". About 20% of Israel's population are Palestinian citizens, most of whom are Muslim or Christian. The chosen designation hides and denies their existence. We consider this approach very problematic, also taking into account your country's commitment to a definition of French citizenship that is not based on ethnicity.
