The Hamas Massacre and the Transmutation of Antisemitism – Studies in Contemporary Antisemitism

The massacre of Israelis by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023, was the most dreadful slaughter inflicted upon the Jews since the Nazi Holocaust.In the immediate aftermath, Israel found itself fighting an existential war on seven fronts.The Western world might have been expected to rally behind Israel - the only liberal representative democracy in the Middle East.However, progressive public opinion in the West, in academia and among student bodies, the left of centre press, radio, and TV, all turned upon Israel in a tidal wave of anti-Zionism.Israel was itself accused of genocide and crimes against humanity.This was a modern form of medieval antisemitic blood libels.What was distinctive about this novel transmutation of antisemitism was that it was left-wing, post-modernist, neo-Marxist.It was the denial of the very legitimacy of the State of Israel.Hacker offers illuminating explanations of this puzzling phenomenon.The International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Cou