The United States has appointed itself the defender of the Jewish global community against anti-Semitism. Emad Gad writes On 10 October, the US Congress passed the Global Anti- Semitism Review Act. The law will establish an office in the US State Department and appoint a special envoy to monitor anti- Jewish activities and prepare an annual report for the State Department, on the basis of which Washington will take measures to confront such acts. The first report, entitled Anti-Semitism Around the World, was expected to be issued on 15 November. The law raises many questions. First and foremost, does the United States have the right to issue a piece of legislation that will hold other nations accountable under American law? Is this law limiting the term "Semite" to Jews alone, to the exclusion of other Semitic peoples, including the Arabs? Why is the US focussed on offering protection solely to the Jewish community, without providing similar defence for Christianity and Islam, for example? The law establishes a system in which any person or organisation that treats Jews and perhaps Israel critically will be held accountable by the world's only superpower, while any person or organisation can criticise or impugn any other religion or people without worrying about US harassment. The law also raises questions about the global human legacy of human rights, international human rights law, and humanitarian law concerned with protecting human beings in times of both peace and war. Has the United States replaced the UN, arrogating for itself the will of the international community, to act as it pleases? Racism, racial discrimination, and the stigmatising of entire peoples on the basis of religion or race are intolerable, no matter who does it against whom. Perhaps one of the most important questions raised by the law is who will monitor Israeli racism and confront the libelous campaigns waged by certain Jewish and Zionist organisations, Jewish clerics, and parts of the Israeli media against non-Jews? Or are these people immune from accountability, left alone to freely attack other religions and peoples? A pointed question for those who issued the law. The Israeli media is filled with racist writings and comments against Gentiles. We can take as an example anti-Christian comments, which show a shocking degree of racism and extremism in the expressions used to describe and discuss Christianity. A few examples are seen in comments to an article entitled "Anglican Delegation to Recommend Divestment", originally published on 23 September in Ha'aretz and later picked up by other Israeli news portals, including www.walla.co.il. Daphna Berman writes in the article, "Leading members of the Anglican church will recommend that their decision-making body adopt an anti- Israel divestment policy similar to the one the Presbyterian Church passed earlier this summer. The announcement, made yesterday in Jerusalem by representatives of the Anglican Peace and Justice Network (APJN), came at the close of the delegation's 10-day tour of the region. "The delegation, which arrived here last week, toured extensively in the West Bank, and met yesterday Yasser Arafat in Ramallah. Delegates insisted that they made sure to schedule time with Israeli leadership as well, and pointed to a meeting with MK Azmi Bishara last Wednesday. "'The word draconian barely even begins to describe what we saw," Reverend Brian J Greives, who represents the US church, said of his experience. "Like others in his delegation, Greives intends to recommend that the church adopt divestment 'to bring an end to the conflict.' "He stressed, though, that consultations with leading figures in the American Jewish community who were 'deeply distressed' by the precedent the Presbyterians set in late July would be key in the decision-making process. "Archdeacon Taimalelagi Tuatagola-Matalavea, the Anglican observer at the UN who was part of the delegation, said she too would advocate for divestment and an increased cooperation with the Presbyterian Church, 'so that Christian faith can bring peace to this land.' "Reverend Naim Ateek, an APJN advisor who is active in the Palestinian Christian liberation movement, agreed, adding that the church needs to seek peace, and political or economic pressure is a necessary means to achieve that." When posted on the news portal Walla, this article prompted the following responses from Israeli readers: "This is an extremist, proselytising church. We don't want them here." "Why don't you also take your churches and crosses with you on your way back? Go back to where you came from. We don't want to see or hear more of you. We'll be fine without you." "Let's deport Christian clerics and close their churches." "It's a hateful, anti-Semitic church and is in fact unimportant." "We don't want your good or your evil. Nobody wants you here at all." "What do you expect? It's the same church that gives refuge to Vanunu. This is just well-known Christian anti-Semitism dressed up in familiar anti-Israeli sentiment." "Benefits for Arabs should be revoked in return. We'll make up for every financial loss we suffer by taking it out of benefits given to Israeli Arabs. Azmi Bishara is causing financial losses to Israel, so let Israeli Arabs pay the price." "The Inquisition is still in their blood and minds. The Anglican Church is an anti-Jewish institution. This church has already recommended the destruction of the state of Israel and the exile of the Jews, but that is still unattainable. They'll wait for the right moment to achieve it." "We must banish the anti- Semites from among us. The Anglican Church has always been one of the bitterest enemies of the Jews and the state of Israel." "The church that believes in the god of Arafat and his murderers." "I suggest that Israel plant a bomb in a bus at the church entrance. It should have a picture of Arafat on it so they can bow down to him. He's Israel's enemy, but for them, he's like the Messiah. I hope the Lord sees." On www.walla.co.il, an article was published on 24 October about a campaign to be launched by the French Jewish Students Association next week in France against the rise of anti- Semitism. According to the article, "As part of the campaign, images of Jesus and Mary will be published with the caption 'Dirty Jew' underneath. In one picture, Jesus appears stretching his arms forward, and Mary appears in another carrying the nursing infant Jesus. Below each of these images is written, 'What would have happened if everyone was an anti-Semite?' "These images will be published in several newspapers starting on Tuesday to coincide with a Catholic Church convention to be attended by many in church figures from all over the continent to discuss how to support belief in God in major European cities. "The French Jewish Students Association (Union des Etudiants Juifs de France, UEJF) is funding the campaign. UEJF President Yonathan Arfi said that many newspapers had agreed to carry the ads, but that billboard owners refused to hang them." These are just a few examples of the types of racism that appear in the Israeli press, and even the Western press. The question is who will monitor and confront these incidents? The US Global Anti-Semitism Review Act offers explicit protection to Jews and Judaism exclusively, while at the same time implicitly preserving their right to fearlessly defame Christianity, Islam, and other peoples. Surely the increasingly militant racism expressed by certain Jewish groups against others will spur global civil forces into joint action to confront discrimination and racism as practised by Jews as well as against other peoples and religions. For more examples of racist sentiment in the Israeli media against Christianity, Islam, Arabs, and the West in general, please visit the website of Arabs Against Discrimination www.aad-online.org.
