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Trump reaffirms no distinction between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism

May 6, 2019

TEL AVIV, Israel – The U.S. State Department's special envoy for monitoring and combating antisemitism, Elan Carr, who was sworn in last month, says the Trump administration is considering its relationships with countries that are not supportive of Israel.

On a five-day visit to Israel and Poland, where he has been taking part in the International March for the Living, an annual event to educate people on the history of the Holocaust and the roots of prejudice, intolerance, and hatred, Carr indicated the U.S. position was being canvassed with various countries "behind closed doors."

Speaking to the Reuters Thomson news agency while in Israel, the envoy said:  "The United States is willing to review its relationship with any country, and certainly antisemitism on the part of a country with whom we have relations is a deep concern."

"I will be raising that issue in bilateral meetings that I am undertaking all over the world," he said. "That is something we are going to have frank and candid conversations about – behind closed doors."

Carr would not be drawn on which countries or leaders he was referring to, nor would he elaborate on what actions the Trump administration might take.

"I obviously can't comment on diplomatic tools that we might bring to bear," he said. "Each country is a different diplomatic challenge, a different situation, number one. And number two, if I started disclosing what we might do it would be less effective."

Carr said the Trump administration's policy of equating of anti-Zionism with antisemitism "certainly breaks new ground … by making clear that something that a lot of us who are involved in the Jewish world and a lot of us who are proponents of a strong U.S.-Israel relationship have known for quite some time, and that is that one of the chief flavors of antisemitism in the world today is the flavour that conceals itself under anti-Zionism."

The special envoy's view, which echoes that of the adminstration, was made clear when the 50-year old former LA district attorney was sworn in to his new role a little over 3 weeks ago. "We are going to focus relentlessly on eradicating this false distinction between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism," he said at the time. "The Secretary (of State Michael Pompeo) could not have been clearer. He stood before 18,000 activists at the AIPAC Policy Conference just two weeks ago and he declared, I quote, "Let me go on the record: Anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism." That will be our rallying cry as we go forward to fight this ancient scourge that sadly is on the rise today and must be combated, and we’re very proud that this department and this administration is focused in unprecedented fashion on doing that," Carr said.

The special envoy on Monday was scheduled to travel to Kiev in Ukraine to address the Kiev Jewish Forum. He will also meet with Ukrainian government officials and Jewish community representatives.

From Tuesday through until Thursday , Carr is scheduled to visit Warsaw, in Poland and Budapest, in Hungary, where he will meet with government officials, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and Jewish community leaders.

Next Sunday, 12 May he will be in Brussels, where he will meet with Belgian government officials, local NGOs, and Jewish community leaders.

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