“In too many Western European countries, we are seeing outrageous policies and dangerously weak leadership in the face of growing antisemitism,” Amichai Chikli told European lawmakers.
Israel’s diaspora affairs and combating antisemitism minister on Tuesday blasted the “dangerously weak” leadership of Western European leaders in the face of the ongoing wave of global antisemitism across the continent.
“In too many Western European countries, we are seeing outrageous policies and dangerously weak leadership in the face of growing antisemitism,” Amichai Chikli told a gathering of European legislators meeting in Portugal via video address. “Europe must act not only to protect its Jewish citizens, but to defend its own democratic values, freedoms, and societies against radical Islam.”
The conference of pro-Israel lawmakers gathered for the Israel Allies European Chairman’s Conference in Lisbon, coming amid the alarming rise of antisemitism following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, focused on the growing phenomenon of anti-Zionism as a contemporary form of antisemitism.
“It is a source of pride for Portugal to host an event of this nature at a time when Europe urgently needs clarity and moral courage in the face of rising antisemitism,” said Portuguese MP Pedro Frazão, chairman of the Portuguese Parliamentary Israel Allies Caucus.