Deborah Lipstadt, the US Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, told The National during a visit to Abu Dhabi that she does worry about whether the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinians will increase the prevalence of anti-Semitism in the Middle East and around the world.
“I think the State Department, the Near East Desk and my own office have made clear their disapproval of some [of the Israeli government’s] actions, without getting into specifics,” Ms Lipstadt said. “But more than anything, anybody who would use them as a rationale for anti-Semitism is just looking for an excuse.”
Asked whether she thought the Netanyahu government's actions would exacerbate anti-Semitism, Ms Lipstadt said: "I do worry about it."
The diplomat, a prolific historian and professor of Jewish history, was in the UAE capital this week to visit the Abrahamic Family House, the world’s first religious complex featuring a mosque, church and synagogue on a single, shared plot.
The UAE has stood out in the Middle East for its efforts to combat anti-Semitism in recent years, particularly since the signing of the Abraham Accords, the agreement to normalise relations between the Emirates and Israel, in 2020.
The signing of the accords has led to the development of a robust trade partnership between the two countries, as well as the opening up of passenger flights between them.
In January, the UAE announced that it would soon begin teaching about the Holocaust in local schools, with the curriculum being developed in consultation with Yad Vashem, Israel’s official Holocaust museum and memorial.
“What the Abrahamic Family House represents,” Ms Lipstadt said, “is a decision by the UAE, after having been involved in tolerance and religious co-existence for years, to really make a mark with a space that will help to influence what happens in the region and the world.”
But various actions by the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, including inflammatory rhetoric from far-right cabinet ministers and an incident in April when Israeli police stormed Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, have caused concern throughout the Arab world.
Mr Netanyahu was re-elected as Israeli prime minister in December, after a wide coalition of parties that had ousted him in 2021 collapsed.
The new governing coalition comprises Mr Netanyahu’s conservative Likud party and an assemblage of religious and far-right parties. Experts say the prime minister’s decision to appoint far-right leaders to cabinet positions has emboldened Jewish extremists.
In the past month there have been several attacks on Christian priests and pilgrims in Jerusalem, suspected to have been carried out by Jewish extremist groups.
In a tweet on Thursday, Ms Lipstadt condemned these attacks, saying: “Christians, Jews and Muslims alike should feel welcome in Jerusalem and throughout the Holy Land.”
In her interview with The National, Ms Lipstadt described the work of the Abraham Accords in helping to resolve Israel’s differences with the Arab world as “a long haul”.
“That there is a longer haul socially and politically is not surprising, because you can change economic relations much more easily than you can change people’s attitudes, ideas and perceptions.”
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
Brief scoreline
Switzerland 0
England 0
Result: England win 6-5 on penalties
Man of the Match: Trent Alexander-Arnold (England)
TCL INFO
Teams:
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
