Muslim identity, criticism of Israel, and attitudes toward Jews: a test of the new antisemitism thesis

This paper tests two hypotheses of the new antisemitism thesis: (1) criticism of Israel leads to more negative attitudes toward Jews and (2) Muslims are more likely than non-Muslims to have negative attitudes toward Israel and Jews. Analysis of data from a nationally representative survey of Canadian adults conducted in February 2024, including an oversample of Muslims, supports both hypotheses. Although conducted during the Israel–Hamas war, respondents seem able to distinguish between Jews and Israel. Canadians critical of Israel but remained positive toward Jews. Despite fears that the Israel–Gaza war would intensify antisemitic sentiment, there is little indication this happened in Canada. Future research should address why Western citizens are so critical of Israel but positive toward Jews, something the new antisemitism perspective does not anticipate and argues against.