An American State Department report Thursday stated that growing criticism of Israel polices and alleged violations of human rights is encouraging anti-Semitism. Earlier this week, the German Foreign Minister said in Israel that modern anti-Semitism has take a new form by being cloaked with "moral superiority" by critics of Israel.
The report pointed out that Israeli polices often are compared to those of the Nazis while little attention is given to regimes, including those ruled by Muslims, that are guilty of grave violations of human rights. The biased assault on Israel "unintentionally or not, encourages anti-Semitism," the report stated. It singled out Iran, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and Egypt for providing "vehicles for anti-Semitic discourse."
Congressional Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Howard Berman, a California Democrat, said, "All too often, legitimate criticism of the state of Israel can veer into naked anti-Semitism characterized by vile hate speech, and all too often it goes unchallenged."