Herzog tells French Jewish delegation Europe is scapegoating Jews and demonizing Israel
Israeli President Isaac Herzog told a visiting French Jewish delegation in Jerusalem that Europe is scapegoating Jews and portraying Israel as evil. A Jerusalem Post opinion piece later asked why Europe separates other peoples from their governments but not Israelis from Israel.
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The story, neutrally told
Right · 1Israeli President Isaac Herzog said on Sunday 11 October that Europe is engaged in "pure scapegoating" and that blaming Jews has become "once again, the default mode". JNSR “What we are seeing in Europe today is pure scapegoating.” Read at JNS ↗ Right · 1Herzog spoke in Jerusalem to a visiting delegation from the Consistoire central israélite de France, the central religious institution of French Jewry, led by its president Élie Korchia and including community leaders, public officials and France's Chief Rabbi Haïm Korsia. JNSR “The president made the remarks in Jerusalem to a visiting delegation from the Consistoire central israélite de France” Read at JNS ↗ Right · 1Herzog said Israel is being demonized in Europe while Jewish communities contract in fear and are pushed into a defensive posture between two identities. JNSR “today Israel is demonized, while its Jewish communities contract in fear” Read at JNS ↗
Right · 1Herzog described disagreement with Israel's strategy or politics as legitimate debate, but said what is happening in Europe and France is different: a "cathartic and satisfying disguise" for anger over Europe's own failings and fears, which he called "dangerous territory" that works against Europe's own goals. JNSR “Disagreeing with Israel on its strategy or on its political venue is legitimate debate.”“This is dangerous territory. And it works against Europe’s own goals,” Read at JNS ↗ Right · 1Herzog called the blanket rejection of Israel, efforts to isolate it and the failure to recognize the threats it faces a "grave error", and said calls for boycotts and sanctions are morally wrong. JNSR “Calling for boycotts and sanctions is not simply morally wrong.” Read at JNS ↗ Right · 1Herzog argued that boycotts and sanctions harm Palestinians first by costing them jobs and income, and that they absolve "corrupt Hamas leadership" of responsibility. JNSR “Boycotts and sanctions harm, first and foremost, the Palestinians, robbing them of jobs and income.” Read at JNS ↗
Right · 1Despite the criticism, Herzog expressed optimism and called for deeper Israel-France cooperation in culture, academia, science and business. JNSR “Across culture, academia and science, there is so much for us to exchange” Read at JNS ↗ Right · 1On 15 October, a Jerusalem Post opinion piece by Sharon Pardo, a Jewish People Policy Institute senior fellow and professor at Ben-Gurion University, argued that Europe distinguishes governments from peoples in the cases of Iran, North Korea, Russia and the Palestinians, but often fails to do so for Israelis. The Jerusalem PostRC “Europe knows how to condemn a government without condemning everyone it governs.” Read at The Jerusalem Post ↗ Right · 1Pardo wrote that official Europe is more careful, citing European Council President António Costa's statement in September 2025 that measures against Israel were "not aimed at the Israeli people", but that outside Brussels, in debates over universities, culture, broadcasting and sports, the categories blur. The Jerusalem PostRC “Official Europe is more careful.” Read at The Jerusalem Post ↗
Right · 1Pardo conceded that Israel's democracy gives some force to the argument that Israelis bear political responsibility, and that the destruction in Gaza resulted from decisions by an elected government, but said political responsibility is not collective guilt. The Jerusalem PostRC “But there is a long distance between political responsibility and collective guilt.” Read at The Jerusalem Post ↗ Right · 1Pardo cited a pre-October 7 EU Agency for Fundamental Rights survey in which 75% of Jewish respondents felt held responsible for the Israeli government's actions because they were Jewish, and said Israelis must also distinguish Palestinians from Hamas and criticism of Israel from antisemitism. The Jerusalem PostRC “75% of Jewish respondents felt people held them responsible for the Israeli government's actions because they were Jewish”“Palestinians are not Hamas.” Read at The Jerusalem Post ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
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Right2 outlets
- Framing
- Both Israeli right-leaning outlets treat the European treatment of Israel as a problem. JNS reports Herzog's speech straight, leading with his charge of scapegoating. The Jerusalem Post runs an opinion essay that is more self-critical, asking Europe to apply to Israelis the distinction it applies to others.
- Emphasis
- JNS stresses Herzog's quotes on scapegoating, antisemitism, and the harm boycotts do to Palestinians. The Post stresses the government/people distinction, Israel's democratic responsibility and Europe's own colonial history.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Neither carries a European or French government response to Herzog. JNS gives no specific European actions beyond boycotts and sanctions. Neither piece includes a critic of Herzog's characterisation.
- Charged language
- “pure scapegoating”“dangerous territory”“grave error”“demonized”
- For example
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“Israel is demonized, while its Jewish communities contract in fear” — JNS
“Israelis cannot have democracy both ways.” — The Jerusalem Post
What every side reports
- Both articles say Europe often fails to separate Israel's government from Israelis and Jews.
- Both accept that criticism of Israeli policy is in itself legitimate.
Isaac Herzog person
Herzog says disagreement with Israel is legitimate but Europe is scapegoating Jews and portraying Israel as evil. He calls boycotts and sanctions wrong and harmful to Palestinians, and urges cooperation with France.
“blaming the Jews has become, once again, the default mode” — JNS
“I believe in this with my whole heart” — JNS
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Right2 articles
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JNSR ·
'Dangerous territory': Herzog slams Europe, where Israel is portrayed as evil
Sympathetic Reports Herzog's speech largely through his own quotes, with no outside response; the headline adopts his "dangerous territory" line.
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The Jerusalem PostRC · · Opinion
Europe distinguishes Iranians from Iran. Why not Israelis from Israel? - opinion
Mixed Opinion essay arguing Europe should distinguish Israelis from their government, while conceding Israeli democratic responsibility and calling for consistency toward Palestinians.
- 12 Oct 10:02 First JNSR 'Dangerous territory': Herzog slams Europe, where Israel is portrayed as evil
- 15 Oct 14:32 +76h 30m The Jerusalem PostRC Europe distinguishes Iranians from Iran. Why not Israelis from Israel? - opinion Opinion
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
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