The release of figures showing a record increase in anti-Semitic incidents in the UK in 2014 has garnered coverage in a number of British media outlets. That this increase has been fueled by last summer’s Gaza war is not in dispute. However, while the situation in the Middle East may offer an explanation as to why anti-Semitism has increased, it can never be used as an excuse or justification.
During Thursday morning’s review of the press on Sky News, the two studio guest reviewers made this point perfectly clear, particularly Jonny Gould. But what about Sky News presenter Eamonn Holmes’ reaction?
Jonny Gould: “The fact that it is happening around the Gaza conflict and as a consequence of it might be an understanding as to how to tackle it, but it can never be justification.
Eamonn Holmes: “It can, if you are Palestinian.”
Jonny Gould: “If you are an anti-Semitic Palestinian, yes.”
You can watch the full exchange here in this short clip.
What exactly did Eamonn Holmes mean? The context of the conversation was specifically dealing with anti-Semitism in Britain. Would Holmes find it justifiable for a Palestinian living in the UK to carry out an anti-Semitic act against a British Jew?
Or is he simply stating that Palestinian anti-Semitism against Israeli Jews is understandable and even justified?
Rabbi Gideon Sylvester is the British United Synagogue’s rabbi in Israel, Senior Rabbinic Educator in Israel for T’ruah – The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights and a contributor to Haaretz. Rabbi Sylvester alerted HonestReporting to this issue and added:
Eamonn Holmes is a responsible journalist, so it is surprising that even he should have been duped into believing Israel must carry full responsibility for retaliating against missiles fired from a territory that will not even recognize her right to exist. More surprising is that Mr. Holmes should find in this justification for attacks on British Jews who have no connection to the Middle East conflict whatsoever. And most shocking of all is that he should voice these outrageous ideas to an audience of millions.
All credit to the panelists and especially Jonny Gould who made it clear that dissatisfaction or even anger with the policies of the Israeli Government is no license to launch anti-Jewish attacks on Jews in Britain or anywhere else. Our community has the right to live safely wherever it chooses without fear of attack from Palestinian or Islamist fanatics and without incitement against it from the media.
This latest example demonstrates how the Middle East conflict continues to act as some form of justification for anti-Semitism in Europe and elsewhere, even for those who consider themselves opponents of Jew hatred in their own countries.
We are not suggesting that Eamonn Holmes is anti-Semitic and he would surely be horrified at any such suggestion. What he is symptomatic of, however, is the way in which negative views of Israel are able to distort attitudes towards Jews and anti-Semitism.
We hope that this is a teachable moment for both Holmes and the media.
