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Why There Is No Credible Alternative to the IHRA Definition of Antisemitism
(ABC-Australia) Peter Wertheim - The internationally recognized Working Definition of Antisemitism adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) emphatically affirms that criticisms of Israel and antisemitism are not mutually exclusive. The IHRA is made up of 33 democratic countries, including Australia. The IHRA definition says that when criticism of Israel: is couched in terms which employ or appeal to negative stereotypes of Jewish people generally; or denies the Jewish people their right to self-determination; or applies double standards by requiring of Israel standards of behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation; or holds Jews collectively responsible for actions of the State of Israel; then the line has been crossed. It's antisemitism. So, when law-abiding Australian Jews who support Israel are accused of being more loyal to Israel than Australia, it's antisemitism. When Jews are said to have inordinate control over the media, economy, and government as a means of supporting Israel, it's antisemitism. Claiming that the State of Israel is a racist endeavor - smearing Israel as an "apartheid state" - is a way of denying the legitimacy of a Jewish state and thus denying Jewish people their right to national self-determination. The writer is co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry.