In one week over the summer, 57 percent of the attacks included a mention of Palestine. This may be because leaders in Europe are increasingly and more publicly supportive of state recognition of Palestine. They are thus painting themselves into a corner and giving hope to terrorism. If they back down from this talk now, anti-Semitic attackers could be further enraged to the point of redoubling their attacks.
Yet there are few better options than ending calls for an independent Palestine, given that a Palestinian state would likely serve as a new Iranian-backed base from which to attack Israel. Iran is seeking nuclear weapons and could base nuclear missiles in a future Palestinian state if the international community were to make such a grave mistake. Israel is unlikely to accept such risks, and so promotion of a Palestinian state by the international community will only fuel the war and lead to further casualties on both sides.
In 2024, the number of violent incidents against Jewish people in France reached a record of 106 physical attacks, including attacks against two synagogues and the anti-Semitic rape of a 12-year-old girl.
In August, an olive tree planted in memory of a French Jewish man, Ilan Halimi, was vandalized and cut down late at night. In 2006, Halimi was tortured to death.
The deterioration of the climate in France for Jews is a direct result, according to the SPCJ, of “the resonance chamber that anti-Israeli rhetoric has benefited from.” Anti-Israel organizations in France act with impunity to “support Palestinian terrorist organizations, their members, and their actions.”
“Palestinian terrorism is increasingly presented as a legitimate means of resistance, with perpetrators of terrorist acts idealized and perceived as resistance heroes,” the SPCJ stated. “[The terror organizations] call for an uprising in France of the struggling populations and try to promote the idea of a French and global ‘intifada.’”
The vast majority of French anti-Semitic attacks occur in Paris, which raises the question about whether the destination city is safe for American tourists.
The U.S. ambassador in Paris, Charles Kushner, has met extensively with Jewish leaders in France and Israel. He raised the issue of anti-Semitism publicly with the French government on Aug. 24 in an open letter, which was the right thing to do, including for the protection of Jewish Americans who visit France. Kushner’s parents are Holocaust survivors, and the issue is of particular interest to him.
In the letter, he wrote: “Public statements haranguing Israel and gestures toward recognition of a Palestinian state embolden extremists, fuel violence, and endanger Jewish life in France. In today’s world, anti-Zionism is antisemitism—plain and simple.”
The Vienna Convention is generally a good policy for envoys between democracies. However, the risks to American Jews traveling in France are not just an “internal affair” of France. Kushner’s commenting, therefore, did not break the convention and was a reasonable approach for an ambassador concerned about the safety of U.S. tourists.
A key concern is that support for a Palestinian state in European government circles only encourages terrorism. Giving terrorists a state of their own from which they can multiply the quantity and power of their attacks on Israel will likely only increase the violence. Muslims already have dozens of states, while Jewish people have just the one.
As noted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a public letter, the call for recognition of a Palestinian state “is not diplomacy, it is appeasement.” The letter continued that it rewards Hamas terror, hardens its refusal to release the hostages, and emboldens those who engage in anti-Semitic attacks.
Governments can help educate the public. A conference on the issue that the French government launched in 2023 was an exemplary form of such education on the part of Paris. And France’s allies should work together to support France and other democracies, including Israel, to defeat terrorism and anti-Semitism, both at home and abroad. No country is immune.
