Hip Hop and the Ancient Hatred

The Israel Institute of New Zealand is an independent think tank dedicated to providing New Zealanders with a better understanding of the State of Israel through accurate analysis, insightful commentary, and effective advocacy.

If you’re not into rap music, you’d be forgiven for not knowing the name Kanye West (also known as Ye). He’s a critically acclaimed artist and regarded as one of the most influential hip hop artists of all time, with over 160 million records sold and 24 Grammy Awards. He’s been married to Kim Kardashian, has claimed to be a Christian and apparently has mental health issues. 

Over the past few weeks, Ye has made a range of antisemitic comments in interviews and on social media. While this might not seem newsworthy in itself, the fact that he has around 50 million followers on various social media platforms makes this a matter of concern.

Last weekend, emboldened by Ye’s hateful rhetoric, supporters were photographed on a freeway overpass in Los Angeles, giving Nazi salutes and displaying banners referencing antisemitic comments made by Ye and Bible verses while urging cars to honk in support. Sadly, New Zealand is not immune from these pernicious influences. A recent New Zealand report published by a human rights group found that two-thirds of New Zealand Jews said that they had experienced antisemitism on social media in the past three years.

Furthermore, the research showed the type of antisemitic disinformation most experienced online by New Zealand Jewry is anti-Israel or anti-Zionist in nature. More than half (52%) of the Jewish people living in New Zealand said that they encountered antisemitic misinformation or disinformation online that was either directly related to Israel or to anti-Zionism during the last 12 months, according to the report. 

To read more: New research highlights anti-Israel/anti-Zionist disinformation as major issue

In June, New Zealand became an observer to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). This could be an important step forward in New Zealand’s battle against antisemitism. The organisation’s non-legally binding working definition of antisemitism offers useful examples of when anti-Zionism crosses over into antisemitism, such as: Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g. by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor. Applying double standards by requiring of it a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation.

Unfortunately, several egregious incidents of Jew-hatred have occurred in New Zealand in recent years with little to no comment or action from the country’s foremost human rights body. An IINZ investigation found that several ostensibly “pro-Palestinian” groups in New Zealand regularly post antisemitic comments indistinguishable from that espoused by the far-right on their social media feeds.

One group in particular, Kia Ora Gaza (KOG), included antisemitic content that would be clearly designated as antisemitic by the International Holocaust Remembrance of Antisemitism (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism, including posts blaming Israel for the 2014 disappearance of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370, posts referring to Jews as “dogs,” and posts comparing Israel to Nazi Germany. As fellow director Dr David Cumin has written, “… New Zealand is not immune to the lies spread about Jews and Israel. The amount of disinformation relating to Israel and Jews online is pernicious and a major part of the reason IINZ exists.”

Meanwhile, the UN Commission of Inquiry released its first report to the General Assembly on October 20, 2022, which has been dubbed “a masterpiece of modern antisemitism”. Created in 2021 to investigate the “underlying root causes” of the Israeli-Palestinian Arab conflict, the Commission is proving to be another weapon with which to attack Israel. Responses to the recent report in the following:

UN Watch’s Hillel Neuer 

“Once again the entire report is only targeting Israel. There is no mention of Hamas, the Islamic Jihad Hamas, the Lion’s Den. Pick your Palestinian terrorist group, pick the Islamic Republic of Iran – which is funding and financing and arming these groups – no mention whatsoever”.

US Ambassador to the UN Human Rights Council Michele Taylor

“We are deeply concerned by the Israel Commission of Inquiry’s one-sided report, which contributes to the polarization of the situation and does not advance prospects for peace. The COI’s open-ended nature and vague scope, along with the antisemitic remarks made by a member of the Commission, further demonstrate the disproportionate, biased treatment of Israel at the HRC”.

US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price

“We have made our concerns about this Commission of Inquiry clear from the start. Israel is consistently unfairly targeted in the UN system, including in the course of this Commission of Inquiry. Israel is the only country that’s subject to a standing country-specific agenda… …We continue to work… …to see to it that Israel is not unfairly singled out”.

SOME GOOD NEWS

However, on the ground in Israel, there is room for optimism. Many New Zealanders are now enjoying travelling to Israel again, after a covid-induced hiatus. New Zealander, Josh Brown, is the founder of New Zealand Israel Innovation Hub, an initiative that facilitates collaboration, communication and enterprise between Aotearoa New Zealand and Israel’s tech sectors. Josh now lives in Tel Aviv and has written about how Water-tech can be a catalyst for peace in the Middle East. He writes “…below the political level, there is another at which corporate stakeholders in water tech can build trust and prepare the ground for peaceful dialogue”. Read more here.