EC chief stands firm over anti-semitism claims

EC President Romano Prodi insisted today that two leading Jewish organisations retract accusations of anti-Semitism before plans for a joint seminar on the issue can get back on track.

Prodi suspended plans to hold a seminar with Jewish organisations next month because they accused his European Commission of prejudice.

“To change that situation it is not up to us, it is up to those who have accused us of being anti-Semitic,” said Prodi’s spokesman, Reijo Kemppinen. “The ball is now in their court.”

The suspension followed accusations from the World Jewish Congress and its European branch that the European Commission showed “intellectual dishonesty and moral treachery” in handling recent controversies.

“Anti-Semitism can be expressed in two ways: by action and inaction. Remarkably, the European Commission is guilty of both,” Edgar Bronfman, the president of the World Jewish Congress, and Coby Benatoff, the head of the European Jewish Congress, said in a joint letter.

“Reacting to and rejecting the defamatory accusation of being anti-Semitic levelled at the European Commission was nothing less than our moral obligation,” Prodi told a meeting of the 20 member Commission today. “On this, no compromise was or is possible.”

Prodi said he received supportive comments from many Jewish organisations, including the Conference of European Rabbis and the Anti-Defamation League and held out hope the seminar could be put back on track as soon as possible.

“I believe we should confirm our desire to re-establish as soon as possible a fruitful cooperation with the Jewish organisations,” he said.

Israeli Ambassador to the EU Oded Eran said today his country “has no doubts as to the opposition of the European political leadership to this phenomenon” of anti-Semitism.

The heads of the two Jewish organisations accused the EC of censoring a study on the rise of anti-Semitic attacks and the involvement of Muslim minorities.

They also complained about the release of a “flawed and dangerously inflammatory” EU poll in which Israel was named a threat to world peace more than any other country.