With imprecise language, the Associated Press misrepresents Anti-Defamation League data on antisemitism, falsely suggesting that the watchdog organization is conflating protests against “Israeli policies” with the world’s oldest hatred.
In doing so, AP diminishes the true extent and threat of actual antisemitism and legitimizes antisemitic language increasingly permeating anti-Israel events.
Thus, in her Oct. 28 article, AP’s Nicole Winfield misleads (“Pope reaffirms dialogue with Jews as he marks 60th anniversary of a key document)”:
This year’s anniversary comes amid a surge in antisemitism linked to Israel’s military actions in Gaza following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks. In the United States alone, the Anti-Defamation League says the number of antisemitic incidents reached a record high last year, with 58% of the 9,354 incidents related to Israel, notably chants, speeches and signs at rallies protesting Israeli policies. [Emphasis added.]
This passage misleadingly suggests 58% of antisemitic incidents were simply “chants, speeches, and signs” that were “protesting Israeli policies.”
For the first time in Audit history, a majority of antisemitic incidents (58%, or 5,452 incidents) included elements related to Israel or Zionism, a trend that reflects the impact of geopolitics on domestic antisemitism. ADL does not consider criticism of Israel or general anti-Israel activism to be antisemitic and does not count such incidents in the Audit. But increasingly, extreme actors in the anti-Israel space have incorporated antisemitic rhetoric into their activism, and it has become commonplace for perpetrators across the political spectrum to voice hatred of Israel or conspiracy theories about the state in a range of antisemitic attacks. Thousands of antisemitic incidents occurred at or in the vicinity of anti-Israel rallies, many of which were organized by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL)and other anti-Israel groups. More than half of all antisemitic vandalism incidents included references to Israel or Zionism. Hundreds of incidents emerged from white supremacist groups’ anti-Israel activity, with Patriot Front racking up the most mentions.
The ADL further details about the nature of the antisemitic incidents prevalent at anti-Israel events:
Activity at or surrounding anti-Israel protests frequently crossed the line into antisemitism through a range of concerning expressions. Protesters displayed justification or glorification of antisemitic violence, framing terror attacks against Israel and the Jewish community as justified “resistance,” while others openly displayed support for U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) by wearing Hamas headbands and waving Hezbollah and Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) flags. Protesters celebrated the anniversary of Hamas’s antisemitic October 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel and glorified the terrorist group leaders who masterminded the attack. Many protests featured rhetoric widely interpreted as a call to destroy Israel through slogans like “Death to Israel” or “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” alongside rhetoric explicitly marginalizing Jews with a connection to Israel, such as, “We don’t want no Zionists here.” Classic antisemitic tropes were also often included and contained imagery referencing blood libel, conspiracy theories about “Zionist media” manipulation and equating swastikas with Stars of David — a direct attack on Jewish religious symbols.
In falsely passing off threats and expressions of anti-Jewish hatred as protests against “Israeli policies,” AP conceals the true threat of antisemitism, serving the interests of extremists who seek to normalize antisemitism as merely criticism of Israeli policies.
With research by David Litman.