THE Western response to an alarming upsurge in antisemitic incidents in several countries invariably falters when it comes to ascertaining its causes. Vague references to liberal values and a focus on better policing usually top the agenda, but Israel and its genocidal agenda rarely make the cut.

Even the most vicious Israeli actions in the occupied territories and beyond cannot justify murderous attacks on Jews in Golders Green or the desecration of synagogues. But that’s not the point. The question must be why the offenders look upon their victims as fair game. Might it have anything to do with Israel’s self-image as an exclusively Jewish state that represents all Jews, including the majority based in foreign lands?

Apart from dual citizens who eagerly participate in the IDF’s atrocities, Jews living outside Israel obviously ought not to be held responsible for Israel’s war crimes, regardless of their political views. Many of them blindly approve of Israeli actions, but a growing number, horrified by the genocide and associated outrages in Lebanon and Iran, have no wish to be linked with the increasingly unpromising land.

Western protests against the genocide in Gaza and beyond almost always include a Jewish contingent,........

© Dawn