In a Thursday morning appearance on CNN News Central, Israeli Special Envoy for Antisemitism Michal Cotler-Wunsh unloaded on the anti-Semites and bigots marching around college campuses, in the streets of American cities, and on Capitol Hill. Meanwhile, co-hosts Kate Bolduan and John Berman were trying to split non-existent hairs over what they were actually protesting.
In the preface to the first question, Bolduan noted that before the October 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas, there were “increasing and spiking incidents of hate and anti-Semitism specifically in the United States and around the world.”
Not only did she want to know about how to protect Jewish communities, she wanted protection for those threatening them. “We’re hearing from the advocacy groups that there are increases in threats or of violence amongst communities – the Jewish communities, Muslim communities, Palestinian communities. How do you calm it down now?” she asked.
Cotler-Wunsh called out the pro-Hamas rallies and said they’re throwing their lot in with Hamas since they’re not condemning the atrocities that were carried out against Jews:
The understanding in what we are seeing in protests on the streets, on campuses, in Congress, social media. Anybody who cannot unequivocally condemn the atrocities, the barbaric savage acts of October 7th, is actually identifying with Hamas, a genocidal terror organization that is fueled by the very same antisemitism that enabled it to murder, and butcher, and maim, and rape, and abduct, and is empowered by these voices that excuse it, that justify it, that deny it.
“And at the core of all of that is anti-Semitism in its mutated form, the modern mainstream form on university campuses, online, on the street, the form of anti-Zionism,” she added, noting that they shared Adolf Hitler’s goals. “Anybody who does not accept the existence of the State of Israel – which Hamas, in its charter, just like Mein Kampf, is committed to an annihilating, to the murder of Jews. Just like Nazis were committed to.”
For the follow-up question, Berman tried to argue that “many American Jews” try to split their opinions. “I can be supportive of Judaism, but I don't have to be supportive of the policies of the government of Israel. Is there that distinction in your mind in the other direction, are people – do people separate Jews from Israelis?” he wondered.
The Envoy emphatically declared that “the criticism of the government, any government of any democratic country is not only acceptable, it’s a must,” but pointed out that that’s not what most of the rallies had been about. Rather, they were about the de-legitimization of the Jewish State of Israel and its right to exist (click “expand”):
The questioning of Israel’s very right to exist, identifying or holding up signs that say “We are Hamas” is like holding up signs after October 7th that say “We are al-Qaeda,” “We are ISIS,” “We are Nazis.”
Where we have to be very clear – for Jews and non-Jews alike – that it is not to do with criticism. The genocidal terror that attacked Jews on October 7th, does not see any place for a state of Israel to exist in any borders. It delegitimizes its very existence and this is very important differentiation, including that’s in the IHRA, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism that clearly stipulates that there is a difference between criticism and de-legitimation.
The final question came from Bolduan and it was the ridiculous notion that Israel was to blame for Hamas’s initial terrorist attack: “What do you say to them who say the lead up to this, this is the fault of Israel how we got here?”
“[A]nybody who cares for humanity, needs to be speaking up unequivocally against one thing only, and that is the genocidal terror organization Hamas who holds those Palestinians in Gaza as human shields,” Cotler-Wunsh told her.
She went on to spell out how Hamas uses the population of Gaza as “human shields” and “human sacrifices” (click “expand”):
Actually, their headquarters are below a much larger hospital than the one than the one that we heard of the other day. They are not only human shields and weapons, they are human sacrifices of an organization that shows no value for human life. There is no ability to conflate between Palestinians and Hamas, the genocidal terrorist organization. And we have to remember, by one proxy of a genocidal regime in Iran, alongside many other proxies that are fueled by the same genocidal understanding of our civilization. The only place it goes is destruction.
And so, I implore anybody who cares about Palestinians to understand that Hamas is holding civilians as human shields, as weapons, making sacrifices, prevent them from being able to arrive at the humanitarian corridors created, stealing the humanitarian aid that is provided to Gaza, launching rockets – as we speak – more than 6,600 rocket have been launched in the 12 days alone since this began – from densely populated areas in Gaza without any regard for the civilians its endangering in a double war crime, as they target children in Israel.
“And to remind of our viewers, this is an assault on the shared civilization, not just on Jews and not just on Israel,” Cotler-Wunsh concluded.
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:
CNN News Central
October 19, 2023
11:43:29 a.m. Eastern(…)
KATE BOLDUAN: The trend even before October 7 that that – and we’ve talked about it on this show a lot – is they’re increasing and spiking incidents of hate and anti-Semitism specifically in the United States and around the world. We’re hearing from the advocacy groups that there are increases in threats or of violence amongst communities – the Jewish communities, Muslim communities, Palestinian communities. How do you calm it down now?
MICHAL COTLER-WUNSH (Israel’s special envoy for antisemitism): Well, first, we have to be clear on identifying what is that’s happening, and you’re 100 percent right, the spike of antisemitism has been ongoing. And actually, what October 7th did is pull off all of the masks.
The understanding in what we are seeing in protests on the streets, on campuses, in Congress, social media. Anybody who cannot unequivocally condemn the atrocities, the barbaric savage acts of October 7th, is actually identifying with Hamas, a genocidal terror organization that is fueled by the very same antisemitism that enabled it to murder, and butcher, and maim, and rape, and abduct, and is empowered by these voices that excuse it, that justify it, that deny it.
And at the core of all of that is antisemitism in its mutated form, the modern mainstream form on university campuses, online, on the street, the form of anti-Zionism. Anybody who does not accept the existence of the State of Israel – which Hamas, in its charter, just like Mein Kampf, is committed to an annihilating, to the murder of Jews. Just like Nazis were committed to.
Anybody who does not support that existence, is clearly identified with today’s version on campuses, as you said, on the streets around the world. In German, Jewish homes are marked by a Star of David, making them targets. We know right here on our campuses; students are targeted as Jews or as supporters of Israel. And so on, and so on.
JOHN BERMAN: Before October 7th, one of the things that many American Jews like to be pointed out is that I can be supportive of Judaism, but I don't have to be supportive of the policies of the government of Israel. Is there that distinction in your mind in the other direction, are people – do people separate Jews from Israelis?
COTLER-WUNSH: So, first of all, it’s a very important question, because the criticism of the government, any government of any democratic country is not only acceptable, it’s a must in democracies. And we know Israelis, more than any plenty have criticized their government.
The difference is – and that is where the antisemitism piece and where the masks are off, is between criticism and de-legitimization. The questioning of Israel’s very right to exist, identifying or holding up signs that say “We are Hamas” is like holding up signs after October 7th that say “We are al-Qaeda,” “We are ISIS,” “We are Nazis.”
Where we have to be very clear – for Jews and non-Jews alike – that it is not to do with criticism. The genocidal terror that attacked Jews on October 7th, does not see any place for a state of Israel to exist in any borders. It delegitimizes its very existence and this is very important differentiation, including that’s in the IHRA, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism that clearly stipulates that there is a difference between criticism and de-legitimation.
BOLDUAN: Michal, we’ve seen the demonstrations erupt around the globe since October 7th. And I have heard you note in other conversations that the civilians in Gaza are not to blame for the terrorism of Hamas. You have three children who are currently serving in the IDF, in the midst of all of this. What do you say to those – and we have heard from the demonstrators on the Arab street – What do you say to them who say the lead up to this, this is the fault of Israel how we got here?
COTLER-WUNSH: Anybody who cares for the Palestinians in Gaza or anywhere else, anybody who cares for peace, anybody who cares for humanity, needs to be speaking up unequivocally against one thing only, and that is the genocidal terror organization Hamas who holds those Palestinian in Gaza has human shields.
Actually, their headquarters are below a much larger hospital than the one than the one that we heard of the other day. They are not only human shields and weapons, they are human sacrifices of an organization that shows no value for human life. There is no ability to conflate between Palestinians and Hamas, the genocidal terrorist organization. And we have to remember, by one proxy of a genocidal regime in Iran, alongside many other proxies that are fueled by the same genocidal understanding of our civilization. The only place it goes is destruction.
And so, I implore anybody who cares about Palestinians to understand that Hamas is holding civilians as human shields, as weapons, making sacrifices, prevent them from being able to arrive at the humanitarian corridors created, stealing the humanitarian aid that is provided to Gaza, launching rockets – as we speak – more than 6,600 rocket have been launched in the 12 days alone since this began – from densely populated areas in Gaza without any regard for the civilians its endangering in a double war crime, as they target children in Israel.
BOLDUAN: Michal, thank you for coming in. Umm. These are horrible times we live in
COTLER-WUNSH: Thank you very much for having me. And to remind of our viewers, this is an assault on the shared civilization, not just on Jews and not just on Israel.
