Whether or not Hamas accepts a new proposal to end the war in Gaza, the Jewish diaspora should brace for antisemitism “for at least some time,” says a top American rabbi.
Antisemitism is a “behemoth backed by all sorts of nefarious types,” said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, an associate dean and director of global social action at Jewish human rights activist organization, Simon Wiesenthal Center.
“Right now, there’s a worldwide effort to delegitimize and demonize the Jewish state, and that, in many ways, is a self-sustaining machine,” he told National Post on Tuesday. “That is a kind of nuclear waste. You can’t just do an on/off switch and get rid of it.”
His comments come a day after U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared as a united front to
that could end the conflict in Gaza. The war, which nears its two-year mark, was triggered by the events of Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists murdered 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. (There are 48 left, of which 20 are believed to be alive, Netanyahu said,
.) Another part of the proposal, which Trump highlighted, was to return the hostages.
The deal, which has yet to be accepted by Hamas, offered some clarity in a murky situation, Cooper said. He called it a “very serious plan” with a “stark” message to Hamas. Either they accept it, lay down their weapons, and return the hostages (and follow through on a total of 20 points listed in the proposal) — or “Israel will finish the job by itself,” Netanyahu said.
Cooper also said he believes that the proposal makes moot the recognition of a Palestinian state by several countries, including Canada, at the UN General Assembly last week. Ahead of that decision, it was
condemned by many Canadian Jewish advocacy groups
, including Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) and Allies for a Strong Canada.
“Think about Palestinians, who were running around trying to get out of harm’s way, from Hamas and from bombs coming down, and they have lost their homes, and they hear that Ottawa is going to recognize the Palestinian state,” he said. “You think that’s what’s on the minds right now of Palestinians?”
Canada and other countries can play a “constructive role,” he added, for example, by helping with the education of Palestinian children. Educators and experts should take a look at their curriculum, get an independent review of it and provide funding for a new one. “In Morocco, in Saudi Arabia, in Bahrain, in the UAE, there are plenty of Arab educators, scholars and curriculum writers to help,” he said. He noted that he was not looking for an endorsement of Israel or the funding of Zionism, but that the curriculum should undergo “a complete and total change.”
In March, a
observed an online school curriculum produced by the Palestinian Authority for school children in Gaza from grades one through 12. It found that the textbooks contain “antisemitic content that encourages students to acts of violence.”
“Antisemitism itself used to be a bipartisan issue, and like everything else in politics these days, in our democracies, it’s all weaponized,” said Cooper. “I believe it will continue for at least some time to have a direct impact on us in the diaspora.”
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday,
he would give Hamas “three or four days” to respond to the proposal.
It’s hard to tell if Hamas will accept the proposal being considered right now, said Jon Allen, a senior fellow at the Bill Graham Centre for Contemporary International History, located in Toronto. He was also the ambassador of Canada to Israel from 2006 to 2010.
“Certainly, I, and most sane people, would hope they would say yes, because, of course, we want the war to end. We want the hostages released, we want humanitarian aid to flow, and we want the death and destruction in Gaza to end. So that’s the upside,” he told National Post. “The downside for Hamas is that there is no defined time in which the (Israel Defense Forces) is going to leave.”
Allen said if Hamas rejects the proposal, he believes Netanyahu would resume the war.
“He would claim that it’s all Hamas fault, as he has before. And to some extent, he’s right, but that’s probably what will happen. More Israeli soldiers will die. The hostages will probably die. More Palestinians will certainly die, and it’ll be a disaster for Israel going forward, and it’ll be a disaster for the Palestinians living in Gaza going forward as well, and it’ll be a disaster for the diaspora Jewish community,” he said.
The Jewish community in Canada, like most Canadians, is looking forward to ending the “painful conflict” and to building a better future for Israelis and Palestinians, CIJA CEO Noah Shack said in a statement to National Post.
“There is unanimity that this must begin with the release of all Israeli hostages and the disarming of Hamas,” he said.
“At this pivotal moment, our community is closely following developments with concern, not only for the region, but for Canadian society. In our streets, universities, and public spaces, we’ve seen pro-Hamas extremists exploiting the conflict to spread hate and violence.
“As important as it is for our leaders to support peace in the Middle East, all Canadians have a vested interest in combatting growing extremism in Canada.”
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