Israel’s actions are fuelling antisemitism around the world | Letters

What Happened

A leaked letter signed by prominent figures from Israel's political and cultural establishments—including former prime ministers and heads of security services—threatened legal action over what they described as an 'ideology of ethnic cleansing' and 'Jewish terrorism' in the occupied West Bank. The signatories also warned that Israel's actions are fuelling antisemitism worldwide. The letter, reported on 24 June, drew a comparison between current West Bank settler violence and European pogroms. Dr Anthony Isaacs, writing in a letter to the editor, cited the intervention to criticise former UK Labour leader Keir Starmer: he argued that Starmer, while claiming to tackle antisemitism, expelled disproportionate numbers of Jewish party members who opposed Israeli war crimes, thereby conflating genuine antisemitism with criticism of Israel. Isaacs contended that the Israeli establishment's own admission undermines the notion that appeasing Israel reduces antisemitism.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The intervention marks a rare public challenge from within Israel's security establishment to government policies in the West Bank, directly linking state-backed settler violence to a rise in global antisemitism. It carries significant weight for international debates on the definition of antisemitism, especially in the UK where Labour's internal conflicts over Israel and antisemitism have shaped party politics. The letter provides ammunition for those arguing that criticism of Israeli actions should not be automatically labelled antisemitic, potentially influencing how political parties and institutions address the issue.

Watch For

Possible legal proceedings threatened in the letter; official Israeli government and IDF responses to the allegations of 'Jewish terrorism' and ethnic cleansing; further statements from the signatories; renewed scrutiny of UK Labour's disciplinary cases and the role of the IHRA definition of antisemitism; international diplomatic fallout, particularly from states that have adopted the IHRA definition.