Israeli ambassador to the EU, Yosef Hadas-Handelsman said that today the difference between anti-Semitism and anti-Israeli criticism has become blurred, along with intensifying attempts to delegitimize Israel , during an annual EU-Israeli seminar to discuss ways to fight anti-Semitism and xenophobia in Europe.
He added that Europe should act decisively against these phenomena.
The Brussels two-day meeting on Wednesday and Thursday was the fifth such meeting between experts and diplomats from Israel and the European Union.
Topics discussed included educating against anti-Semitism and racism, legislation and enforcement as well as the prevention of anti-Semitic and racist phenomena in the media.
These discussions were aimed at helping policymakers adopt efficient mechanisms and measures against these phenomena.
Both Israel and the EU assign great importance to this seminar, which reflects the common struggle against the scourges of anti-Semitism and xenophobia in Europe.
The EU was represented at the meeting by Paul Nemitz, Director of the Fundamental Rights and Citizenship unit in the European Commission as well as Mr. Emmanuel Crabit head of the unit for Fundamental Rights and Rights of the Child.
The Israeli side was represented by Israel’s ambassador as well as the Director of the Department for Combating Anti-Semitism in the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gideon Behar, representatives of Yad-Vashem, the world center for Holocaust education and research, and Israeli academics.