Human rights groups warn UN against antisemitism definition

 Over 100 groups urge UN not to adopt wording they say 'opens the door' to labelling legitimate criticism of Israel antisemitic

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres addresses the 22nd session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues at the General Assembly Hall of the United Nations headquarters in New York City on 17 April, 2023 (AFP)

By 

MEE staff

Published date: 21 April 2023 17:51 BST | Last update: 5 days 3 hours ago

The groups say the label relies on examples of antisemitism that could be open for distortion, such as "denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination" and "applying double standards by requiring of [Israel] a behavior not expected" of other democratic nations.

Such wording "opens the door" to labelling as antisemitic criticism of Israeli government policies and practices by human rights organisations that Israeli authorities are committing apartheid against Palestinians, the groups said.

"The UN should ensure that its vital efforts to combat antisemitism do not inadvertently embolden or endorse policies and laws that undermine fundamental human rights, including the right to speak and organize in support of Palestinian rights and to criticize Israeli government policies," the authors said.

The metric could also be used to label as antisemitic documentation showing that Israel's founding involved dispossessing Palestinians.

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The "double standards" argument could also pave the way for anyone who focuses on Israeli abuses to be labelled "antisemitic" so long as worse abuses are deemed to be occurring elsewhere.

"By that logic, a person dedicated to defending the rights of Tibetans could be accused of anti-Chinese racism, or a group dedicated to promoting democracy and minority rights in Saudi Arabia could be accused of Islamophobia," the authors said.

The authors provided recent examples they say underscore the fraught metrics used in the IHRA definition.

In 2017, after the UK government adapted the definition on a national level, at least two UK universities banned activities planned for "Israel Apartheid Week", including a talk at the University of Central Lancashire on boycotts, divestment and sanctions.

In February 2020, Israeli advocacy groups in the US tried to shut down a Palestinian film screening at Pitzer and Pomona College citing "clear indicators of anti-Semitism under the examples listed by the IHRA".

The authors listed two alternative definitions for antisemtisim the UN could adapt from the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism and the Nexus Document, crafted by a task force affiliated with Bard College and the University of Southern California.

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