Antisemitism in the Arab-Muslim World during the Gaza Strip War
The Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, and the outbreak of the Gaza Strip War ignited the largest wave of antisemitism and hatred of Jews worldwide since the end of World War Two. That hatred is reflected in the Arab-Muslim world, from the Iranian-led resistance axis, with terrorist organizations like Hamas and the Houthis, to the so-called "moderate" Sunni countries such as Turkey and Qatar; In the Arab-Muslim world, antisemitism inundates newspaper articles and cartoons, statements by influential religious and political leaders, and the social media, where posters explicitly call for attacks on Jews. They use a combination of anti-Jewish themes from traditional Islamic texts and classic European antisemitic motifs, such as those in the Protocols of the Elders of Zion; The unprecedented Hamas terrorist attack and massacre on October 7, 2023, marked the first time that Hamas' deeply ingrained hatred of Israel and the Jews was so fully and brutally understood and brought to bear; The objectives of this study are to explain the historical and religious roots of antisemitism in the Islamic world, identify significant centers which spread antisemitism today, and show how antisemitic propaganda tries to define the Jews. We use a precise definition of antisemitism as it refers the alleged collective negative traits of Jews, both in terms of their perceived spiritual and physical characteristics; In ITIC assessment, as long as the war in the Gaza Strip continues and as long as the Palestinians continue accusing Israel of committing "genocide," Islamic antisemitism will carry on in high gear, as has been the case since October 7, 2023. Although antisemitism in the Arab-Muslim world has mainly remained in the media and on social networks, the pro-Palestinian riots carried out for the most part by Muslims in the Netherlands on November 7, 2024, in which Israeli soccer fans were attacked, suggest that Islamic antisemitism may lead to more acts of violence as the war continues. However, ending the war in Gaza does not guarantee a decrease in Islamic antisemitism. The narrative promoted by Hamas and the Palestinians surrounding the Gaza Strip War and its aftermath may keep antisemitism at high levels even after a ceasefire.
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