Top EU politician: ‘Major cause of anti-Semitism is lack of education on Israel’

A top Italian politician has said a major cause of anti-Semitism in Europe is a lack of education about Israel, both within the public and among politicians.

MEP Fulvio Martusciello spoke about the role of tackling European anti-Semitism, and improving relations with Israel – which he sees as strongly linked.

As head of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Israel, he addressed a panel on anti-Semitism before he told Jewish News: “The biggest problem is Europe, is that Europeans don’t know anything about Israel.

“When they don’t know anything about Israel, they criticise without realising what Israel is. The solution for this is education. We must give a better image of Israel in institutions and make it better known, not only to the public but MPs and politicians as well.”

He also criticised a recent UN report that berated Israel during Operation Protective Edge, as it “does not put Hamas at least on the same level. We have to be strong to counter Palestinian narrative and to make it at the same level to push for the truth”.

Martusciello, an MEP for the European People’s Party, also spoke about the rising far right in Europe. He said: “The role of the delegation is to marginalise these groups and fight their narrative and to push for a stronger relationship between the EU and Israel. This will help to fight anti-Semitism.”