- December 8, 2025
- 9:38 am
- World News
War is once again changing the face of Europe — and not just on the fronts. Where slogans of tolerance and human rights once echoed, the whisper of old hatred is growing louder. Anti-Semitism — the ancient virus of the continent — is awakening again, rising from the underground layers of history to the streets of Berlin, Paris, and Brussels.
Mass rallies, synagogue arson, attacks on Jews — these are no longer frames from the archives of the 1930s, but the chronicle of European news in 2025.
But the reasons for what is happening are far more complex than just a political dispute over Israel’s war with Hamas. It is a reflection of a global shift — how Russia, Iran, and their ideological partners use anti-Israeli and anti-Western rhetoric to ignite Europe from within.
When Anti-Semitism Became “Fashionable” Again
In recent months, the level of anti-Semitic incidents in Europe has increased manifold.
In France — attacks on Jewish schools and cemeteries.
In Germany — threats against rabbis and Israeli students.
In the UK, police record a rise in hate crimes of more than 500%.
But the danger is not only in the numbers.
It is about a new form of old evil — anti-Semitism under the guise of political activism.
Today, hatred is often disguised as “fighting imperialism” or “solidarity with the oppressed.”
Yesterday it was called fascism, today — “anti-colonialism.”
The essence has not changed.
Many experts note: anti-Semitism today is not always expressed in insults.
It can hide behind slogans, behind “the fight for Palestine’s freedom,” behind artificial narratives that are implanted through social networks and propaganda.
This is where the main danger of the new wave lies.
Russia and Hamas — Different Fronts of One Ideology
In the Ukrainian context, the comparison of Russia and Hamas sounds particularly accurate.
Both structures operate on the same principle: terror as an argument.
Putin’s army destroys Ukrainian cities under the slogan of “liberation,” just as Hamas kills Israeli civilians, hiding behind “the fight for justice.”
This parallel is no accident.
Russia systematically builds ideological and informational ties with anti-Western forces in the Middle East.
Moscow justifies Hamas terror as a “reaction to Israeli aggression,” while in turn, it calls Russia’s war against Ukraine a “fight against Nazism.”
In fact, it is a common language of authoritarian regimes and extremist movements: everything is allowed if it can be called “resistance”.
Anti-Semitism as a Kremlin Tool
The Kremlin did not invent hatred — it learned to monetize it.
For years, Russian media structures have created pseudo-analysis where Israel and “Jewish influence” were presented as the cause of global injustice.
The same logic is used against Ukraine: “Western puppets,” “NATO accomplices,” “victims of Jewish capital.”
In essence, this is not just anti-Semitism, but a geopolitical technology.
It works on emotions, on fears, on the feeling of a “stolen identity.”
Radical Islamist propagandists operate in the same way, recruiting followers under the slogan of fighting “colonizers.”
These two streams — Russian imperialism and Middle Eastern fanaticism — merge into one: hatred of the West, Jews, and democracy.
Europe, Losing Its Immunity
Many European societies were not ready for this new form of old contagion.
After decades of peace and prosperity, control over the language of hatred has weakened.
Freedom of speech often becomes a cover for destructive narratives.
Social networks are filled with “anti-imperialist” blogs where Israel is called an “occupier” and Russia a “fighter against the West.”
Hundreds of such pages operate on the same servers, often funded from Moscow or Tehran.
Thus, anti-Semitism re-enters the mainstream — not through slogans of “beat the Jews,” but through words of “support Palestine.”
This makes it especially dangerous: a person can be a victim of propaganda without realizing that they are repeating the language of those who justify terror.
The Palestinian Narrative as a Mirror of Russian Aggression
When Hamas justifies attacks on Israel with slogans of “fighting occupation,” it is easy to recognize the Kremlin’s lexicon in these phrases: “denazification,” “liberation,” “historical territories.”
In both cases, violence is justified by a “higher goal.”
Authoritarian propagandists have learned to use the words “freedom” and “justice” as a smokescreen.
Russia justifies the killing of Ukrainians in the same way Hamas does Israelis.
The difference is only in scale: the methods are the same, the audiences different.
This is increasingly discussed in both Israel and Ukraine: terror, wherever it occurs, is always fueled by impunity.
The Ideology of Hatred and Western Fatigue
Modern Europe is tired of war.
But fatigue is the perfect ground for manipulation.
When people stop distinguishing shades, the slogan “for peace” can turn into a justification for terror.
In European universities, rallies “in support of Palestine” are held, where calls are made to “cleanse the land of Zionism.”
There is nothing humanitarian in these phrases — it is the language of hatred, only in a new wrapper.
Thus, anti-Semitism becomes acceptable again — if it is hidden under the guise of “justice.”
Ukraine, Israel, and the Moral Connection
Ukraine and Israel find themselves on the same side of reality, where terror is an ideology, and truth requires strength.
For Kyiv, it is obvious: when the West does not react to some manifestations of terror, it provokes others.
Unacknowledged evil grows faster than acknowledged.
Ukraine supports Israel in its fight against Hamas for a reason.
Both countries are targets of propaganda attacks, disinformation, and international pressure.
For both, the word “self-defense” has become not just a legal term, but a matter of survival.
How the Kremlin Plays on Anti-Semitic Sentiments
Russia actively implants anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli narratives in Western media.
Under the guise of “alternative viewpoints,” texts about “Jewish elites,” “Zionist control,” and “world conspiracy” are spread online.
These same theses were heard in the 1930s — only now, instead of newspapers, they are circulated by anonymous Telegram channels.
Often, anti-Semitism becomes a “byproduct” of pro-Russian propaganda.
Those who justify the war against Ukraine often use the same rhetorical constructions as anti-Semites: the search for an enemy, conspiracy theories, the cult of a “humiliated power.”
Why It Matters Now
Because history is knocking on Europe’s doors again.
Anti-Semitism is not just a problem for Jews. It is a litmus test of the state of society.
When hatred of Jews becomes the norm, it means the foundations of democracy are being destroyed.
Today’s cries in the squares “from the river to the sea” are not a slogan of freedom, but a warning.
And if Europe does not draw conclusions now, tomorrow this wave will engulf it itself.
What Can Stop the New Wave of Hatred
1. Strong government response.
States must qualify anti-Semitism as a threat to national security, not just as a hate crime.
2. Responsible media.
The media must stop equating the aggressor and the victim.
Terrorist organizations cannot be an “equal side of the conflict.”
3. Education and memory.
Europe cannot afford to forget where silence in the face of anti-Semitism has already led.
Every new case should be seen as an alarming signal, not as a “crowd excess.”
4. Solidarity of countries that know the price of terror.
Ukraine and Israel must remain allies — not only in politics but also in meanings.
Their experience of resisting terror is not two separate plots, but one line of defense of the civilized world.
Conclusion
Europe is once again at a crossroads.
On one side — fatigue, cynicism, false neutrality.
On the other — clarity: terror cannot be balanced, it must be stopped.
Russia and Hamas are two manifestations of one disease, which feeds on impunity and fear.
And while Europe seeks excuses for those who shoot at children, hatred continues to change flags, but not its essence.
Peace will begin where evil is no longer justified — under any slogans.
And if Europe wants to remain Europe, it will have to remember why it swore: never again.
