Netanyahu backs EU rollout of tool to track online antisemitism - Jerusalem Post Staff

 

by Jerusalem Post Staff

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu supports expanding Hungary’s AI tool to track antisemitic hate online across Europe, warning it directly impacts Israel’s security.

 

President of Hungary’s Action and Protection Foundation (TEV) Kálmán Szalai (L) and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R).

(photo credit: COURTESY OF TEV)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backed a European rollout of a Hungarian-built system that flags antisemitic content online, telling a visiting watchdog in Jerusalem on Wednesday that the surge in Jew hatred “directly affects Israel’s security.”

Kálmán Szalai, president of Hungary’s Action and Protection Foundation (TEV), briefed Netanyahu on the AI-assisted platform, which identifies antisemitic rhetoric on major social media networks and refers serious cases to authorities.

 Antisemitism is at a record high. We're keeping our eyes on it >>

The tool already operates in Germany and Austria, and TEV aims to deploy it in most European Union countries within a year, Szalai said.

Netanyahu welcomed the initiative and urged wider adoption. “Antisemitic hatred, both online and offline, impacts not only Jewish communities abroad but also Israel’s security,” he said.

Szalai also described TEV’s support programs for victims, which include legal aid, psychological counseling, and security assistance. “The drastic rise in hate crimes requires comprehensive institutional protection,” he said.

A person holds a placard during a demonstration against antisemitism, amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas War, in Brussels, Belgium, December 10, 2023; illustrative. (credit: REUTERS/Johanna Geron)

Education and media literacy are part of the plan as well. TEV runs classroom programs that teach students how to spot classic and modern antisemitic tropes, often disguised as anti-Zionism, and how to report incidents. He pointed to “50 Minutes,” a current affairs program on Neshama TV, a Jewish cable channel in Hungary, as a platform for fact-based coverage and Israeli documentaries.

Figures TEV presented at the meeting showed steep increases since 2020. In Germany, 1,957 antisemitic incidents in 2020 rose to 4,886 in 2023, while online expressions nearly doubled to 8,627 in 2024. TEV said about a quarter of the German cases were categorized as anti-Israel antisemitism.

In the United Kingdom, incidents climbed from 1,662 in 2020 to 4,106 in 2023, a 107% increase, with 1,774 cases linked to Israel and the Gaza conflict.

Hungary, which Jewish leaders often describe as comparatively safe, still saw online cases jump from 45 in 2022 to 128 in 2023, most after October 7, and then spike to 664 in 2024, with more than half classified as anti-Israel.

The meeting came less than a year after Netanyahu’s state visit to Hungary, where he praised the country as one of the safest for Jews and discussed cooperation with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

Szalai, who last met Netanyahu in 2020, noted that TEV was founded by the Chabad-Lubavitch-affiliated Association of Hungarian Jewish Communities (EMIH) at the initiative of EMIH's Chief Rabbi Shlomo Köves.

EMIH's Chief Rabbi Shlomo Köves in 2023. (credit: Elekes Andor/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)

The foundation works with the Hungarian government and engages a broad spectrum of Jewish communities, including Reform congregations.

October 7 massacre brought spiking antisemitism from margins to mainstream discourse, public intimidation

Israeli officials say the spike in antisemitism since October 7 has moved the problem from the margins into mainstream discourse and street intimidation.

By framing it as a strategic issue and backing the EU expansion of TEV’s monitoring tool, Netanyahu placed countering antisemitism within Israel’s national security agenda and signaled support for exporting practical methods to other democracies.The Hate Monitor is here to track antisemitism worldwide. Learn more >> 

Jerusalem Post Staff

Source: https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-866682

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