More than words are required to combat 21st-century antisemitism - opinion

• Published date: 13 October 2021
• Author: GERALD M. STEINBERG
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

But in parallel, many of the participating governments, including the Swedish hosts, are complicit in the systematic efforts to demonize Israel, the Jewish state, which is the main component of 21st-century antisemitism. The new hate takes the form of obsessive and single-minded anti-Zionism, wrapped in a facade of support for "Palestinian suffering" at the top of the ideological pantheon.

Many of these campaigns are led by powerful non-governmental organizations (NGOs) claiming to promote agendas based on human rights and international law. These groups, in turn, are often funded by European governments – the same ones, including Sweden, that hold conferences and declare their firm opposition to antisemitism.

For 20 years, beginning with the infamous antisemitic Durban NGO Forum, European-funded networks have been at the center of the boycott movement (BDS). They also cooperate with officials in the UN Human Rights Council and the International Criminal Court (ICC) in promoting false or highly distorted accusations used to push images of Israeli war crimes and "apartheid."

In using these labels, NGOs and their followers are singling out and delegitimizing Israel, regardless of borders or policies, and uniquely denying the Jewish people the right of self-determination. In turn, this propaganda is transformed into incitement and violence.

If the governments of Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and the rest were serious about countering antisemitism, they would begin by openly investigating the uses and abuses of the NGO industry. European governments, together, allocate on the order of €100 million annually to what are actually FONGOs (foreign government-funded NGOs) active in these campaigns. This is a massive amount of money, focused year after year on demonizing one country – Israel.

With such large budgets and almost no oversight, NGOs are easy vehicles for political manipulation. They also have direct access to media platforms and government officials who either sympathize with their ideological agendas or see them as unbiased sources of expertise (this is known as the NGO halo effect). The publications and statements that demonize Israel are quoted and echoed without fact-checking by ministers, members of parliament and journalists, greatly amplifying their influence.

Sweden is among the most active supporters of the NGO purveyors of hate and anti-Zionist invective. Some groups supported by the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA)...