Fury as Israel’s Lapid redefines anti-Semitism
Many in Israel were angered over a speech delivered by Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, who said that anti-Semitism should mean the hatred of any marginalized group, not just Jews.
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid delivered a brief but contentious speech before the 7th Global Forum on Combatting Anti-Semitism on July 14, and his remarks are still the subject of heated debate and discussion.
Lapid’s many critics, led by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, argued that the speech damaged the struggle against anti-Semitism. Politicians and opinion-makers, mainly from the right, called what Lapid said “strange” and “post-modern,” claiming that it played straight into the hands of those who deny that the very phenomenon of anti-Semitism exists.
