Sebastian Kurz
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz also told Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad that Austria is a “friend and partner of Israel.”
A comprehensive survey conducted by CNN found alarming levels of anti-Semitic attitudes among Europeans, with statistics on anti-Semitic acts across Europe “mind-boggling.”
The measure, which was the first time the council’s 28-member states have passed a resolution countering anti-Semitism, calls on its member states to “to adopt and implement a holistic strategy to prevent and fight all forms of anti-Semitism.”
“I look at what they do, at what they say also on the European level,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to CNN poll results, 34 percent of Europeans surveyed know just a little or have never heard of the Holocaust, while 20 percent of French people between the ages of 18 and 34 said they had never heard of the Holocaust.
“Anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism are getting blurred, but they are two sides of the same coin,” said the Austrian leader, noting his country’s laden past regarding European Jewry. “We can’t undo history, but we can do justice to our history.”
Manfred Weber, 46, head of the European People’s Party in the European Parliament and a member of the conservative Christian Social Union in Bavaria, said “the development in recent years is an absolute warning sign.”
With this development, Israel will not send officials to the conference in Marrakesh, which is scheduled to be held between Dec. 10 and Dec. 11.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to Vienna for meetings and to attend a conference on anti-Semitism, the first visit by an Israeli premier to the country in more than 20 years.
Many in Israel are against dealing with Europe’s right-wing parties, arguing that they haven’t really abandoned their anti-Semitic past, and that Israel’s acceptance will only legitimize them.
“In this memorial year in which we are particularly aware of our historic responsibility, I want to clearly emphasize that we condemn in the strongest possible terms any form of anti-Semitism and any downplaying or even denial of the Holocaust,” said Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz.
At a memorial ceremony at Yad Vashem, Kurz stated, “As the Chancellor of Austria I have to state that Austria and the Austrian people carry a heavy burden for their horrific and shameful crimes committed during the Shoah. But let me assure you that we Austrians know that we are responsible for our history. It is our duty and obligation to ensure that the Shoah will never happen again, and that my generation and succeeding generations will never forget these horrible crimes.”