Conference: Anti-Semitism in the Context of the Arab Awakening

Event

Monday, January 28, 2013 10:30 to 14:00

Conference: Anti-Semitism in the Context of the Arab Awakening

The AJC Transatlantic Instute and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung held their second annual workshop on anti-Semitism to mark International Holocaust Rememberance Day. This year's event looked at the presence and prominence of anti-Semitism in the Arab world following the revolutionary wave that swept through the region starting in December 2010.

Early hopes that the Arab Awakening would usher in a new period of democracy and human rights has given way to a more sober reality. In addition to the concerns that the region might be backsliding toward authoritarianism and religious radicalism, there is growing alarm about the prevalence of anti-Semitism in the region. Unfortunately, the use of Judeophobic imagery, conspiracy theories and hate speech is not limited to Islamists only but is increasingly popular among secular, liberal voices as well.  What are the origins of this anti-Semitism? Is it a continuation of a long-established trend or a new phenomenon? What is the impact on the future of Arab-Israeli relations and the prospects for peace?

The workshop - which brought together senior EU offiicials, diplomats and policy experts - assessed these questions and how the European Union should act to counter this dangerous trend.

 

Panel 1: Anti-Semitism in the “Awakened” Arab World 

Speakers: 

Ambassador Gideon Behar, Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Christian Berger, Managing Director for the Middle East, European External Action Service

 

Panel 2: The Impact of Anti-Semitism on the Perception of the Middle East and the EU’s Response 

Speaker: Douglas Murray, Associate Director, Henry Jackson Society

Ambassador Gideon Behar: Arab Anti-Semitism a Danger to Peace

TAI interviewed Ambassador Gideon Behar, Director of the Israeli Foreign Ministry's Department for Combating Anti-Semitism, the dangers of Arab Anti-Semitism for Jewish communities around the world and the prospects for peace. The conversation took place at the conclusion of a workshop (co-organised by the AJC Transatlantic Institute and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung) on Anti-Semitism in the Arab world.

Date and time

Date and time

Monday, January 28, 2013
04:30 - 08:00 EST
09:30 - 13:00 WET
10:30 - 14:00 CET
11:30 - 15:00 EET

Location

Konrad Adenauer Stiftung
Avenue D’Yser, 11
1000 Brussels
Belgium

Partner

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