Letter From IJAN, JNP, JSG and JVL on the IHRA Definition of Antisemitism

Dear country representative to the United Nations General Assembly, 

re: The IHRA Definition undermines the UN’s defence of international law in Israel-Palestine

Many Jewish individuals and organisations oppose this politically weaponised definition

For several years the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism (WDA) has been systematically used for false allegations of antisemitism against critics of the Israeli regime. It serves to protect Israel, not Jews. Its wording well suits this political role to weaponize false allegations, as documented in a report, ‘The IHRA Definition at Work’. The Israeli government has extended such false allegations against UN bodies and expert reports which defend international law and human rights against Israeli oppression in Palestine. 

For example, Israel has been imposing an “apartheid regime” of racial discrimination on the Palestinian people, according to a UN body’s 2017 report authored by Richard Falk, a former U.N. human rights investigator for the Palestinian territories, and Virginia Tilley, Professor of political science at Southern Illinois University. Their report was falsely denounced as antisemitic. This is underpinned by the IHRA’s attached examples, whereby calling Israel ‘a racist endeavour’ is supposedly antisemitic. 

More recently, Israeli UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan has denounced the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) and the International Criminal Court as antisemitic. Now he asks the UN General Assembly (UNGA) to adopt the IHRA Definition because it would help legitimise such false allegations. 

For these reasons, numerous international scholars have collectively asked the UNGA to reject the IHRA Definition.

In her report Prof. E. Tendayi Achiume, the UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, “cautions against reliance on the IHRA WDA as a guiding instrument for and at the UN and its constituent entities”.

Since 2018 the IHRA Definition has been likewise opposed by more than 40 Jewish groups worldwide.

Please reject the IHRA mis-definition which undermines the UN’s remit for international law and human rights.

Signed by David Cannon, Chair of JNP on behalf of IJAN, JNP, JSG and JVL.