The Israeli Ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, has issued a stark warning regarding the rise of left-wing antisemitism within the country, asserting that it poses a more significant threat than either right-wing or Islamist expressions of anti-Jewish sentiment. In an interview with publications within the Funke-Mediengruppe, Prosor emphasized the insidious nature of this left-wing strain, citing its ability to mask its intentions under the guise of progressive ideals.
While acknowledging that Germany possesses well-established mechanisms for combating right-wing extremism and understanding the dangers of Islamist antisemitism – which he characterizes as a “Trojan horse” attempting to subvert the democratic order – Prosor argued that left-wing antisemitism operates in a particularly corrosive grey area. He claimed it consistently pushes the boundaries of acceptable discourse, “having clearly crossed the line” between freedom of expression and incitement.
This form of antisemitism, Prosor observed, frequently manifests in the cultural sphere, particularly on university campuses and within the theatre world, where a veneer of intellectualism and moral righteousness often obscures overtly hostile views toward Israel. He described a disturbing trend of relentless demonization and delegitimization of the Jewish state, with tangible repercussions for Jewish communities across Germany.
The recent incident involving an Israeli conductor being disinvited from a Belgian music festival, initially met with public outcry, was presented by Prosor as a symptom of a broader and unsettling shift in the permissible boundaries of public debate. He suggested that the normalization of such actions signals a deepening crisis of tolerance and a dangerous erosion of protections for Jewish identity and expression within Germany and indeed across Europe. The ambassador’s statement underscores a growing concern over the normalization of anti-Israel rhetoric and its potential to fuel antisemitism, demanding a more critical examination of the ideological underpinnings of seemingly progressive movements.