00:00We can now bring in Ted Deutch, former Democratic U.S. Congressman and Chief Executive of the American Jewish Committee.
00:06Thank you so much for joining us here on France 24.
00:10Now, we have seen two anti-Semitic attacks in the United States in less than the span of two weeks.
00:15We had just this past Sunday Boulder, Colorado.
00:18Before that, two Israeli embassy staffers gunned down outside the Capitol Jewish Museum in Washington.
00:24What, in your view, is fueling this spike?
00:26Well, we've seen anti-Semitism in the United States increasing dramatically even before October 7th, 2023, when Hamas went into Israel, slaughtered 1,200 people, took another 250 hostage.
00:40But since October 7th, we've seen this steady drumbeat of vitriolic attacks against Israel and anyone who supports Israel, the demonization of Israel, the rejection of Israel as a legitimate state.
00:56And when you have these ongoing calls to globalize the Intifada, resistance by any means necessary, it is no surprise that those calls to violence have actually led to violence.
01:08And that's what we have to address so that we don't see any more of this occurring in places where Jews gather in the United States.
01:15Because you did, in fact, tweet just that this past Monday where you said chants of globalizing the Intifada and resistance by any means necessary are essentially calls to violence.
01:24The event in D.C. was organized by your organization, the American Jewish Committee, and it was focused on bringing aid, humanitarian assistance into Gaza.
01:34Were you aware of any threats to that event itself?
01:37No, and it's important, I'm glad you point that out.
01:40It's important to acknowledge that the subject matter for this event, for young people that brought together Jews and Muslims and Christians, Israelis and Arabs, Palestinians, was to focus on humanitarian diplomacy.
01:55It was about bringing people together.
01:57And it was at that event, immediately after that event, that this radicalized individual showed up and murdered two people outside of the Jewish museum in our nation's capital.
02:12This can't be accepted as normal.
02:14We can't just move from one violent attack against the Jewish community to the next.
02:20We have to stand up.
02:21We've got to condemn it.
02:22And we have to say that we will not tolerate it.
02:24Because let's not forget, in April, we also had Josh Shapiro's house, a Democratic congressman's house, who was torched, essentially, by somebody who voiced support for the Palestinian cause.
02:36Is local law enforcement in the United States not doing enough?
02:40Are they not taking this threat seriously?
02:43Local law enforcement and the federal government are both taking the threat very seriously.
02:48I don't have any doubt about that.
02:50And there are cases that are thwarted, sadly, on a regular basis.
02:55But the challenge is to acknowledge that this is not just about an individual act and another individual act and identifying those who may be considering this.
03:07It's about an atmosphere that somehow has this ridiculous idea that calls for the elimination of the state of Israel and anyone who supports Israel.
03:19This guy in Colorado wanted an end to all Zionists.
03:23He wanted all Zionists dead.
03:25Those kinds of calls do not represent a social justice movement.
03:30They represent a call to violence.
03:32And that's not just law enforcement that has a stake in this.
03:36It is everyone across society condemning it and saying that this is not acceptable.
03:42This is what leads to violence.
03:43And we will not allow any group in our society, Jews or any other group, be this threatened.
03:50Because for a long time in the United States, there was this feeling among American Jews that they were safer compared to Jews here in Europe, who have been targeted since the 80s here in Europe.
04:03Has that changed?
04:04Has that feeling of safety changed, given that we've seen these attacks, these recent attacks?
04:11Sure.
04:11Well, we've seen, as your report indicated, we saw the attack in Tree of Life at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh when Jews were gathered together in prayer.
04:23We saw it in Poway, California.
04:25Jews gathered together in prayer.
04:26We saw it in Washington.
04:27Jews and others gathered together to focus on building a better world.
04:32And then we saw it in Colorado with people gathered together, marching to free the hostages from the grips of the Hamas terrorists.
04:41Yes, there is a sense, there is this sense that the risks are greater.
04:46And it's the reason why it's so important for everyone across society to come together to combat it.
04:53As we've seen in France, and as we know around the world, and as we've known throughout our history, anti-Semitism never just impacts the Jewish community.
05:02It impacts democracy and society as a whole, which is why we all have a stake in fighting it.
05:08We're just playing a graphic actually behind you, which shows that there's been an 893% increase in anti-Semitic incidents in the United States over the past decade.
05:18Now, the U.S. President Donald Trump says he's clamping down on anti-Semitism.
05:22We've seen how he singled out universities.
05:24He's even gone so far as to halt visa interviews for students who are headed to the United States.
05:31We've seen how he's gone after Harvard in particular.
05:35Is he helping or hurting the cause?
05:37Well, there's no question that the fight against anti-Semitism is one that the administration, this administration, is taking seriously.
05:43As we have pointed out throughout, it is essential that the administration make this a priority.
05:52It is also true that in carrying out these efforts, that due process be respected.
05:59And so we urge everyone, whether it's leaders in the United States Congress, leaders in the administration, or anyone around the world, as they engage in the fight against anti-Semitism, to not politicize it, to not make it about anything other than the necessary fight against anti-Semitism.
06:17So do you agree with how he's going after Harvard, for instance?
06:21Well, the approach to universities starts with the acknowledgement, as hundreds, thousands of universities have said with AJC, starts with the acknowledgement that anti-Semitism on campus across America is a significant threat.
06:36And then moving forward to combat it in ways where due process matters and where decisions aren't made that would undermine American preeminence in research.
06:47Those, all of those considerations can and must be considered at the same time.
06:52Because I interviewed a Pakistani student who wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post.
06:58He's a Muslim student.
06:59And he acknowledged that there is a problem with anti-Semitism on campus in Harvard, which needs to be addressed, just like there's a problem with Islamophobia, and yet foreign students are being targeted.
07:10I want to talk about how the U.S. and France can learn from each other.
07:16What measures can be put in place, do you think, to combat the rise in anti-Semitism?
07:21Because this country, too, has seen a spike in anti-Semitism since October 7th.
07:25You know, since October 7th, and frankly, going back before that, I mean, it's 20 years now and more here in France.
07:31And certainly a decade ago, with the incredible violence that we saw taking place here in France, there is a lot for us to learn from one another.
07:41It starts with the shared experiences and making sure that there's adequate security, but it's more than security.
07:47AJC, together with the Jewish community here in France, will be holding a program focused on anti-Semitism, especially focused on the youth.
07:57We need to understand how to engage one another and bring in all of our partners and allies and friends across society to stand together,
08:07not just in moments of sorrow after attacks happen, expressing condolences and the need for more security,
08:15but before they happen, standing together against the kind of language that leads to this violence.
08:21That's what we have to do together.
08:22But language where? On things like podcasts and things like that?
08:26Is that...
08:26Wherever there is, wherever there is, you hear, anyone, any leader, hears language that contributes to the kind of violence that we've seen,
08:37that fuels the lies that feed into the anti-Semitic narratives, the call for the destruction of only one country in the world,
08:46and that happens to be the Jewish state and anyone who supports that Jewish state.
08:51Yes, it doesn't matter where they come from.
08:53They need to be called out and condemned.
08:55Now, you mentioned that we've seen a spike in anti-Semitic acts before October 7th,
09:00but, of course, the main spike we're seeing has happened since October 7th.
09:06Fifty-eight Israeli hostages remain inside the enclave, most of them dead, one can assume.
09:12The war continues.
09:13We know from recent polls what a majority of Israeli society want.
09:17They want this war to end.
09:19They want hostages to come home.
09:20I'm not going to ask you where you stand on Netanyahu's policy or not,
09:25but we also have Israelis within the state of Israel, politicians who have disagreed with the government in Israel,
09:31how they have handled the war, and they themselves, people who are Israelis, people who are Jews, are labeled anti-Semitic.
09:37Does this characterization not hurt the cause?
09:41Oh, there is no question that there are strong disagreements both within Israel and across the world about the decisions made by the Israeli government
09:51as there are disagreements about decisions made by any government.
09:56However, the difference here is that when you take this, it's not just about decisions.
10:02It's the effort to demonize the very existence of Israel, Israel's right to defend itself,
10:08ignoring and, in fact, obliterating the truth about what happened on October 7th.
10:13When you take all of that and you say, this is our position, and if you, as Jews, are supportive of Israel
10:22and its right to exist in any way, then you are the enemy, and all Zionists are the enemy, and all Zionists should be killed,
10:29that's obviously something we all need to be against.
10:33I understand, but the thing is we've also had criticism from within Israel.
10:37We have Israeli politicians who are Jewish, who are former members of the army, who have criticized the government,
10:43and they themselves are labeled anti-Semitic.
10:45This is why I'm just asking.
10:46Oh, it's not anti-Semitic to be critical of decisions that are made by any government.
10:51No, I'm just asking because it leaves foreign leaders in a tricky situation when it comes to questioning the policies of the Netanyahu government.
10:58Well, what should be easy for foreign leaders in politics as well as in business and education, wherever they are,
11:05what should be easy for them and what should not require any level of analysis is to stand up and to stand together
11:13when they see things that are being said that advance the kind of rhetoric that leads to violence.
11:21That's been true for leaders throughout our history.
11:24It should be no different now when those attacks are focused on Jews.
11:29That's how we protect not just the Jewish community, but it's how we protect our society as a whole.
11:34Ted Deutsch, thank you for coming in and speaking to us.
