Foreign Minister Eli Cohen on Wednesday hosted his Costa Rican counterpart, Arnoldo Andre Tinoco, in Jerusalem, and the two discussed collaboration and deepening relations between the two countries, i24NEWS reported.
During the meeting, Tinoco expressed his government’s intention to “soon adopt the definition of international antisemitism,” a reference to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism.
Cohen “expressed deep appreciation to” Tinoco for “Costa Rica's decision to adopt the definition of antisemitism and to fight more vigorously any manifestation of hatred against Jews."
The IHRA working definition offers a comprehensive description of antisemitism in its various forms, including hatred and discrimination against Jews, Holocaust denial and, sometimes controversially, the way antisemitism relates to the ways criticism of Israel is expressed.
More than half the states in the US have adopted or endorsed the IHRA definition, plus the District of Columbia, either as legislation or as an educational standard.
The federal government of Canada has also adopted the IHRA definition, as have several Canadian provinces.
Countries to have adopted the definition include Germany, Britain, Austria, Romania, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria. In 2017, the European Parliament voted to adopt a resolution calling on member states and their institutions to apply the IHRA definition.
Cities, universities, NGOs, and corporations have also adopted the definition.
The two foreign ministers also examined the variety of possible collaborations and the deepening of the relations between the two countries.
"Costa Rica is an important friend of the State of Israel and under the leadership of the new administration in the country, many opportunities for cooperation are opening up,” Cohen stated.