2008 has seen a decline in the number of antisemitic incidents in most countries. On the other hand, Germany has seen a significant rise in the number of incidents, a significant rise was evident also in the USA (based on partial data only) and a specific increase in the number of violent incidents was evident in Belgium during the month of September.
In spite of the decline, Britain, France and the Ukraine are still leading with the highest number of incidents.
The violent antisemitic activity in Western European countries and in South Africa was mostly perpetrated by local Muslims.
The perpetrators of antisemitic activity in member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (former Soviet Union) and former Eastern Europe, including former Eastern Germany, were mostly right wing extremists acting from nationalist motives.
It is our understanding that the continued efforts of local authorities to combat antisemitism, antisemitic instigation and the activities of Islamic extremists and terrorists around the world has contributed, among other things and due to the lack of trigger (such as the worsening situation in our part of the world), to the decline in the number of antisemitic incidents.
Iran, the Hezbollah, Hamas and some of the Islamic Arab countries have continued to lead the antisemitic propaganda in the main media channels, the Internet, and through the deliverance of speeches, as part of the propaganda against Israel and thus, they continued to influence the minds of millions of Muslims around the world with hateful information and legitimize the support in terrorist attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets.
The terrorist threat against Jewish communities continues, made by global Jihad groups and by Hezbollah – with the intent of avenging the killing of Mughniyah and supported by local Muslim groups.
The terror attack in Mumbai has demonstrated the damaging potential the radical and local Muslim groups have on Jewish and/or Israeli institutions such as Chabad House and on locations that attract large concentrations of Israelis and are not necessarily connected with institutions of the local Jewish community.
