Herzog: Blaming Jews has become Europe’s ‘default mode’

Herzog also criticized calls for boycotts and sanctions against Israel, arguing that such measures harm Palestinians by depriving them of jobs and income.

By Pesach Benson, TPS

President Isaac Herzog accused European countries of scapegoating Jews amid mounting criticism of Israel, warning that the trend threatens Jewish communities and runs counter to Europe’s own interests.

“Blaming the Jews has become, once again, the default mode,” Herzog said Sunday in Jerusalem during a meeting with a delegation of French Jewish leaders and public officials led by Élie Korchia, president of the Consistoire, France’s central Jewish religious body.

The delegation also included France’s chief rabbi, Haïm Korsia.

Herzog distinguished between legitimate criticism of Israeli government policy and what he described as a blanket rejection of the Jewish state, warning that European countries were overlooking the security threats Israel faces and its role in protecting Europe.

“This type of blanket rejection of Israel, the attempt to isolate it, to expose it as evil, while refusing to see the very real perils we face as a nation, nor the critical role we are playing in defending Europe from similar threats, is a grave error,” Herzog said.

He also criticized calls for boycotts and sanctions against Israel, arguing that such measures harm Palestinians by depriving them of jobs and income.

“Calling for boycotts and sanctions is not simply morally wrong. It reflects a deep alienation from Europe’s own intellectual inheritance while speaking to the darkest shadows of its past. And let’s be clear: they serve no one,” Herzog said.

Despite the tensions, Herzog emphasized the historic ties between France and Israel and called for closer cooperation in science, business, culture and academia, expressing confidence in a shared future.