NGOs and the New Antisemitism

Chapter Summary

An often overlooked aspect of the "new antisemitism" is the role played by human rights and humanitarian nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in contributing to the environment of demonization via politicized campaigns and lobbying. These NGO campaigns can be traced to the NGO Forum at the UN's 2001 World Conference against Racism in Durban, South Africa, which marked a major increase in the re-emergence of antisemitism. As Professor Gerald Steinberg notes, "the NGO Forum's Final Declaration established the 'Durban Strategy', 'a policy of complete and total isolation of Israel as an apartheid state', and cal[ed] for 'the imposition of mandatory and comprehensive sanctions and embargoes, the full cessation of all between all states and Israel'". The global anti-Israel boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement is a manifestation of antisemitism that is spearheaded by NGOs. Many of the NGOs invoking the Durban Strategy use the terms "Judaization" or "Judaize" in their campaigning.

Keywords: and sanctions (BDS) movement; divestment; Durban Strategy; Gerald Steinberg; global anti-Israel boycott; Israel; Judaization; new antisemitism; nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)