The ‘Most Brutal Attacks’ on Jews in Europe Driven by Anti-Zionism, Says Algemeiner Editor-in-Chief

Algemeiner Editor-in-Chief Dovid Efune appears on i24 News. Photo: Screenshot.

Animus toward Israel is increasingly responsible for attacks on Jews in Europe, said Algemeiner editor-in-chief Dovid Efune during an interview with i24 News Wednesday, on a new survey showing that a majority of French voters see a link between anti-Zionism and antisemitism.

“The most brutal attacks and a great deal of the most horrific offenses that we have seen across the continent — but especially in France — have been driven by anti-Zionist antisemitism,” said Efune. “[It’s] a relatively new and unique brand of antisemitism that has been taking hold across the globe, and really, in many ways, has been driving the rise in antisemitism that we’ve been seeing across the planet.”

The IPSOS survey found that 63 percent of respondents thought it was not possible to support the destruction of the State of Israel without being antisemitic. Another question asked how voters understood the term “anti-Zionism;” 43 percent said it meant support for the end of Israel as a sovereign, independent state, with 19 percent saying it was criticizing Israeli government policies and 38 percent who weren’t sure.

“The fact that this is gaining wider understanding among the French public is vital to be able to avoid and defend against such attacks in the future,” said Efune. “The further, obviously, that this is understood in French society, the better off the French Jewish community has a chance of being.”

The poll was commissioned by CRIF — the representative body of Jews in France — to mark the 15th anniversary of the murder of Ilan Halimi, a young French Jew.

Efune said the survey “draws a line under efforts that we have seen in other places in Europe, and frankly around the world, about this battle over the [International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance] definition of antisemitism.”

“The fact that it’s been fought against so vociferously really underscores the pernicious nature and the threat of anti-Zionist antisemitism, and obviously this poll is encouraging to see that there are many people that push back against it,” he continued.

Watch Efune’s i24 News appearance below:

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