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NEWS
Antisemitic Incidents Down Worldwide in 2010
By R. Hoffner
The number of antisemitic incidents diminished around the world last year compared to 2009 — a record year due to Operation Cast Lead — according to the annual report by the Jewish Agency's Coordination Forum for Countering Antisemitism (CFCA), which was presented to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. The report was published this week in advance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is held on January 27, the date when Auschwitz was liberated by the Red Army.
In Latin America the number of antisemitic incidents rose, while in Australia it dropped over 60 percent. Britain and France posted a 50% decrease. In Sweden, Germany, Belgium and Egypt as well the number of violent incidents attributed to antisemitism went down.
During the presentation of the report the Prime Minister was told that the danger to the welfare of Jews around the world is "palpable and ongoing." The CFCA warns against complacency, explaining that the decrease was primarily due to the relative stability in the Middle East last year. According to the authors of the report, the real test will be keeping antisemitism at a low level following another round of violence in the Middle East.
The report found that the raid of the Turkish flotilla bound for Gaza and the takeover of the Mavi Marmara, during which nine Turkish citizens were killed, led to a sharp rise in delegitimization of Israel as well as antisemitic incidents against Jewish communities in places around the world. "The delegitimization of Israel is much more acute than classic antisemitism and Israel must take steps to act against it strongly, e.g. via the Internet, where hatred toward Jews and Israel is especially virulent," said the authors of the report. During the cabinet meeting, recommendations by the Ministerial Committee for the Battle Against Antisemitism were also presented.
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