Presenting the evolution of modern antisemitism through two pivotal historical junctures, focusing on transformations in patterns of hatred and their dissemination mechanisms. The 1973 ‘Yom Kippur’ War first revealed the intricate correlation between Middle Eastern events and global antisemitic outbursts, with the global oil crisis catalyzing classical antisemitic accusations regarding Jewish control of the world economy. In contrast, the dramatic surge in antisemitism following ‘Operation Swords of Iron’ exhibits a novel pattern of hatred, characterized by the synthesis of human rights rhetoric with traditional antisemitic tropes that portray ‘the Jew’ as responsible for global injustices, with social media platforms serving as the primary vectors for hate propagation.

Several aspects characterize this paradigm shift: the transition from physical to digital spheres of occurrence, the evolution of antisemitic discourse from overt hatred to coded social justice rhetoric, and globalization’s impact on both the scope and velocity of dissemination.

Our data shows a strong correlation between war events in Israel and the escalation of antisemitic incidents in the Diaspora, and poses new challenges to monitoring and combating contemporary manifestations of anti-Semitism while maintaining vigilance against its traditional forms.

The threat over global inter and intra-state wars in contemporary politics is not merely triggered by the Russian aggression in Ukraine and the engagement of the North Korean troops in the Ukrainian war zones, yet it also comes from the resurgence of the far-right ideology of Islamic radicalism and fascism, following the political vacuum in the aftermath of the Cold War era and the failures of democratization in the transitional period of the Arab nations and the post-communist Eastern Europe. With its fascist elements that are embedded within the culture of the nation, the rise of fascism in post-communist Eastern Europe cannot be detached from its nation-state political strategy that promotes “ethnic nation” (Hockenos, 1993:11) in which its ideology lies upon the perpetuation of systemic racism, ancient hatred, and the politics of expansionism (Hockenos, 1993). On the other hand, the rise of Islamic radicalism is aligned with the political rivalry in the Middle East, emphasizing upon Islamic sectarianism of the Sunni and Shia, following the Iranian revolution in 1979 and the pursuit of Islamic supremacy by adopting salafism that is built upon the adoption of Islamic orthodoxy and militancy. This reflects a totalitarian ideology that supports the establishment of Islamic state for its power hegemony in the world. Inevitably, such resurgence contributes to the rise of antisemitism that is rooted within the cultivation of the prolonged hatred and prejudice against the Jews and the Jewish state of Israel. Using the cases of fascism in post-communist Eastern Europe and the adoption of salafi ideology by the Islamist fundamentalists, the study aims to investigate how both ideologies that are mirroring one to another have been used as strategy to foster radicalization and global antisemitism of which those are also considered a political threat on the existence of democracy in the Western society. In particular, the study attempts to answer the following questions: 1) In what ways do fascism contribute to the rise of antisemitism in post-communist Eastern Europe?, 2) In what ways do salafism contribute to the rise of antisemitism in the Middle East and the West?, 3) How does the history shape the manifestation of antisemitism in Eastern Europe and the Arab nations?, 4) What are the differences and similarities of both ideologies in its contribution to antisemitism?, 5) How do the resurgence of such ideologies contribute to the challenges of adopting democracy? The data collection will be conducted by analyzing the secondary sources taken from the previous studies that are related to the topic being investigated.

This paper examines the origins and enduring influence of the notion that “Zionism is racism,” a concept first introduced in 1965 at the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) and formally codified in United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3379 in 1975. Although repealed in 1991, this narrative has been repeatedly revived, notably during the 2001 World Conference Against Racism and in contemporary debates surrounding Israel.

The resurgence of this rhetoric has taken on new urgency in the aftermath of the Hamas massacre on October 7th, as public and activist discourse increasingly frames Zionism as a racist ideology. This paper traces the evolution of the “Zionism is racism” framework, focusing on its impact on how antisemitism is articulated and legitimized in public discourse.

I argue that an idea conceived under cynical political motives has since undergone a process of normalization, fueling hostility toward Jews under the guise of anti-Zionism. By analyzing key historical milestones and their resonance in activist and academic spaces, this paper highlights the broader implications of this rhetoric in fostering an increasingly polarized and hostile environment.

In the Soviet era Moscow practiced institutional antisemitism while running an extensive worldwide anti-Israel campaign. This campaign recreated the ancient  image of the Jewish arch-enemy in terms of resisting Israel, and became the fertile ground for current global anti-Zionism. With the collapse of the USSR it seemed that the Moscow-Jerusalem relations were heading for a new paradigm, but recent processes put that in question.

Since the beginning of the Russian intervention in Syria, and even more so with the invasion of Ukraine, Israel found itself facing a complicated dilemma. Moscow’s strive for imperial status brought Russian soldiers to the Israeli border once again, as part of a coalition with the Iranian theocracy. It seems that in recent years Israel is viewed again by Moscow in terms of strategic rivalry combined with blatant antisemitism. One of many examples is russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov claiming that “Hitler also had jewish blood”. After October 7, Russia received a Hamas delegation and inflamed mobs hunted for jews in the muslim Dagestan region.

And yet, except for a few condemnations, Israel chose a pragmatic course of refraining from collision with Russia. With the Israeli escalation at the northern front in the autumn of 2024 – and the freedom of action given to the IDF by Moscow – it seems that the pragmatic approach is bearing fruits.