United Nations Urged to Respect Human Rights in the Fight Against Antisemitism

ECCP has joined a coalition of civil society organisations who are calling on the United Nations not to endorse or adopt a proposed working definition of antisemitism which has been used to suppress criticism of human rights violations by the Israeli authorities. In an open letter, the 104 organizations have urged the UN to ensure that its essential efforts to combat antisemitism do not embolden or endorse policies and laws which undermine human rights.

The UN is currently developing an action plan for a “coordinated and enhanced response to antisemitism rooted in human rights.” Some UN member states have advocated for the UN to adopt, as part of this plan, the non-legally binding working definition of antisemitism proposed and adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). Many experts on antisemitism and Jewish studies, as well as Palestinian, Israeli, and international human rights groups, have challenged the IHRA’s definition, which has been used to stifle debate and criticism of the Israeli government’s human rights record.

Read the full letter here.