EIPA Hosts Press Briefing with Israeli Minister Amidst EU Talks on Middle East Crisis
Our EIPA colleagues hosted a press briefing in Brussels featuring Israeli Knesset Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, Amichai Chikli, amidst EU leaders’ discussions on the Middle East situation post Iran’s unprecedented drone and missile strikes on Israel. Journalists from Deutsche Welle, POLITICO, and RADIO JUDAÏCA had the chance to pose pivotal questions to Chikli during the session at our Brussels office.
Amichai Chikli, born in 1981 in Jerusalem, serves as Israel’s Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism. He holds degrees from University of Haifa and Tel Aviv University. Chikli founded the Tavor Leadership Academy, focusing on nurturing Zionist leaders.
He initiated a preparatory program for Israel Defense Forces service for immigrants and volunteers. Initially with Yemina, he later joined Likud and was elected to the Knesset.
Chikli advocates integrating Jewish and Israeli identities, emphasizing their significance for Jewish continuity and Israel’s social resilience. He champions conservative values, aiming to unite nationalist and Zionist principles with economic and social policies.
Belgian government asks to revoke refugee status of Samidoun leader
Samidoun is a controversial organization close to Palestinian Islamist groups that was banned in Germany after celebrating the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel.
Mohammed Khatib is “known as an extremist hate preacher,” says Belgian Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration.
Belgium’s government has asked to revoke the refugee status of Mohammed Khatib, the coordinator in Europe for Samidoun, a controversial organization close to Palestinian Islamist groups that was banned in Germany after celebrating the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel.
Belgian Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration, Nicole de Moor, announced that she had asked the immigration services to withdraw the refugee status of Khatib, who she said was “known as an extremist hate preacher”.
“The asylum procedure is intended for people fleeing war or unjust persecution. There is no place for people who represent a danger to society”, she said.
“Even if someone has already been recognized as a refugee if that person turns out to be an extremist, recognition can be withdrawn.”
She explained that the request was based on “information provided by the security services”, without giving any further details.
Last month, members of the parliament in Netherlands criticized their government for not preventing Khatib from attending a rally in the country.
Iran vs. Israel. Assessing the global implications
Our EIPA colleagues had a successful emergency special briefing on the following topic: Iran vs. Israel. Assessing the global implications.
The escalating hostilities between Iran and Israel are sending shockwaves across the globe, as Arab countries join forces to intercept Iranian UAVs and cruise missiles. This unprecedented collaboration represents a seismic shift in regional power dynamics, illuminating a united front against Iran’s belligerent agenda.
The urgency of this situation cannot be overstated, underscoring the critical necessity for advanced military capabilities and expert analysis to confront these volatile geopolitical complexities head-on. Immediate action is imperative to mitigate the looming threat posed by Iran’s aggressive posture.
Meet our esteemed experts:
Jonathan Spyer: A British-Israeli analyst and Director of Research at the Middle East Forum. With extensive experience in Middle Eastern affairs, he serves as the Editor of Middle East Quarterly magazine and contributes as a columnist for The Jerusalem Post.
Beni Sabti: An Iran Program Researcher at Tel Aviv University’s Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) and coordinator of the INSS podcast “Voices from Iran”. Born in Iran, Sabti offers unique insights, having served in the IDF and specializing in Iranian culture and media.
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The European Jewish Association is a prominent and influential organisation dedicated to representing, advocating for, and fostering the interests of the Jewish community across Europe. Founded on unity, tolerance, and inclusivity principles, the EJA bridges diverse Jewish communities and European societies.
EU leaders condemn Iran’s ‘unprecedented’ attack on Israel
‘’Iran is a known state sponsor of terrorism,” wrote Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that the European Union strongly condemns Iran’s attacks on Israel.
“This is an unprecedented escalation and a grave threat to regional security,” Borrell wrote on his X account.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, condemned the Iranian attack on Israel and called for restraint on all sides.
“I strongly condemn the blatant and unjustified attack against Israel,” she wrote on the social network X. “I call on Iran and its accomplices to cease these attacks immediately. The parties must now refrain from further escalation and work to restore stability to the region.”
Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani mentioned that he is in close contact with the ambassadors in Tehran and Tel Aviv, adding, “We have spoken with the Prime Minister and the Defense Minister. The government is prepared to handle any scenario.”
Acting Dutch Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, said the situation in the Middle East is very concerning, noting, “Earlier today, the Netherlands and other countries sent a clear message to Iran to stop attacking Israel.”
“The Netherlands strongly condemns Iran’s attack on Israel. Further escalation must be avoided. We continue to monitor the situation closely,” Rutte added.
“We strongly condemn the ongoing attack, which could plunge an entire region into chaos. Iran and its proxies must stop this immediately. Israel offers our full solidarity at this time.” said Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.
“By deciding on such an unprecedented action, Iran is taking a new step in its destabilizing actions and taking the risk of a military escalation,” French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné wrote on X.
“France reaffirms its commitment to Israel’s security and reinforces its solidarity,” he added.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo on X: ‘’Iran is a known state sponsor of terrorism. Its direct attack on Israel is a dangerous escalation of violence in the Middle East. I condemn this large-scale attack on Israel and urge all parties to show restraint. An immediate ceasefire is long overdue.’’
Belgium strongly condemns Iran’s attack on Israel. This is a major escalation and a danger to regional stabikity. This attack endangers the population and further distance us from peace,’’ said Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib on X.
Saying ‘Never again is now’ to European Jews is an insult
Never again? If European governments are not prepared or are unwilling to turn words into action, these important words will have just been a platitude. And an insulting one at that.
Never again. Everybody knows those words. They are on every politician’s lips on Holocaust Memorial Day.And in 2025 we will mark the 80th liberation of the camp that prompted these words to be uttered: Auschwitz.
What exactly do they mean? No more concentration camps? No more mass murder? One would certainly hope so, given Europe’s turbulent and bloody treatment of the Jewish people.
And what about never allowing the circumstances that led to these barbaric and inhuman manifestations of hate to happen again? Does “Never again” mean that too?
The Jewish communities across Europe certainly thought so. It appears that we were laboring under a misapprehension, brought into vivid and stark relief in the aftermath of October 7.
Antisemitism continues to rise at alarming rates
Since the Hamas pogrom, reported cases of antisemitism have gone through the roof – in the UK, Spain, and France the percentage rise is over 1000%. Today, as I write this, Jews are facing levels of antisemitism last seen in 1939 in Nazi Germany.
This is an unbelievable and incredible sentence to have to write.
Things were already bad. Like a dormant volcano before October 7 , there were regular tremors and some eruptions, but we hoped for the best. The war awoke it. Jewish Communities are daily facing molten streams of hate everywhere across the continent.
In Holland, earlier this year, they canceled Holocaust Remembrance Day events at universities over security concerns and because of vociferous opposition to the memorializing. Just recently, in Amsterdam, there were protests at the opening of a new Holocaust museum.
Rabbis are slapped in the street and verbally abused. In capitals across the continent – mainly in those with significant Muslim populations – there are regular protests displaying Nazi images referring to Jews, images drawing parallels between Gaza and Auschwitz, and you can hear calls for Jewish genocide and ethnic cleansing “From the river to the sea.” You can read placards calling Jews terrorists, and the blood libel of “child killers” is regularly used.
Death threats against rabbis are common. Jews are insulted on the street on a daily basis and our children cursed at.
Those European citizens who have served in the IDF are outed in their communities through letter campaigns pointing out that a “child killer” is living next to them; flights arriving from Israel are tracked and met by protesters.
The Jewish community president in Porto takes his child to nursery wearing a bulletproof vest. The principal Jewish organizations here in Belgium have had to write to their prime minister, urging him not to abandon them.
A Brussels commune, in which NATO HQ is located, just this week raised the Palestinian flag above their town hall.
To paraphrase Nietzsche, as Israel stared into the abyss, Jews in Europe have seen the abyss staring back at them in their neighborhoods in London, Paris, Madrid, and Brussels. Just because they are Jews.
At least Israel can fight back. What can we do? We place our lives and our trust in the hands of our respective governments. Are we right to do so? Let’s take a minute to look at the evidence.
Back in 2021, amidst a spike in COVID-related antisemitism, the EU published a detailed strategy for combating antisemitism. The strategy was handed over to the member states, and they in turn were to adopt measures and develop national plans for combating antisemitism. Many did. A great many also signed up to the IHRA definition of antisemitism, patting themselves on the back.
But any strategy must ultimately pass the test in the real world. So how have these strategies, plans, and IHRA adoption held up upon meeting the post-October 7 landscape from what you have read so far?
That’s right. They have no visible or demonstrable practical application across Europe today. Or to put it as eloquently and simply as a Dutch Jewish community president put it: “They are not worth the paper they are printed on.”
The reality is that police departments are hamstrung at openly antisemitic protests, unsure and therefore unable to stop public manifestations of hate and overt antisemitism.
A swastika is allowed because it is “context-dependent”; “From the river to the sea” is allowed in some capitals, because it isn’t explicit enough to count as hate speech. (Would they just prefer “Burn, Jew, burn”?).
The courts too, seem to have little to no frameworks available to prosecute the anti-Zionists and antisemites who are making our collective Jewish life here in Europe hell.
And these Jew-haters are emboldened because they can act with total impunity. They simply moved the goalposts and – when they can be bothered – have just replaced Jew with Zionist, thereby rendering the vast majority of Jews in Europe as the Azazel for their hate. It must be such a relief for them to finally give air to their sulphurous pent-up poison.
As I write this, an image from a community in Dortmund has just popped up on WhatsApp. It shows a large graffiti of a Star of David with a swastika inside it.
Never again? If European governments are not prepared or are unwilling to turn words into action, these important words will have just been a platitude. And an insulting one at that.
The writer is chairman of the European Jewish Association, which represents hundreds of Jewish communities across the continent.
EJA Chairman Extols Daniel Shvidler for Founding AMEPA, Strengthening US-Israel-Middle East Media Relations
EJA Chairman Rabbi Menachem Margolin thanks Daniel Shvidler for his courageous partnership in establishing AMEPA – America Middle East Press Association, which is designed to strengthen ties and understanding between senior journalists in the United States and Israel and the wider Middle East.
In the photo from the left:
Rabbi Margolin, AMEPA representative on the West Coast, David Perry, the organization’s senior advisor Jeremy Pink, Daniel Shvidler, the organization’s representative in the southeast of the USA, Warren Cohn, AMEPA CEO Kim Kaman and Tal Rabina, the organization’s strategic director and head of Israel office
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