Anti-Semitism between religion and politics

Objectives: This study aims to analyze the origin of the term "antisemitism" and explore its religious and cultural connotations in the context of its emergence in Western societies, in addition to examining the reasons that contributed to the rise of animosity towards Jews in those societies, as well as the relationship between Western Christian religious thought, both Catholic and Protestant, and the animosity towards Judaism, and how the Zionist movement exploited the issue of "antisemitism" to benefit Israel. Methodology: Analytical and critical methodology, through examining and analyzing the ideas underlying the issue of antisemitism and its relationship to the religious and cultural beliefs of the Western societies in which the problem arose. It also attempts to deconstruct the reasons for hatred towards Jews in the West and to understand its religious, economic, and social dimensions, and to critique the political exploitation and use of the issue of antisemitism by the Zionist movement in the West. Results: The study concluded that the animosity towards Jews in the West was part of a cultural and religious condition in Europe, justifying the discrimination and persecution that Jews suffered in Europe with religious justifications. Anti-Jewish sentiment in Europe was a result of the failure of Jews to integrate into Western societies. The enmity between Jews and the Christian world began as purely religious antagonism since the first century AD, but transformed in the late 18th century into economic and racial hostility. There was a significant development in the position of the Catholic Church regarding the issue of anti-Semitism through the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). The success of the Zionist movement in exploiting 'anti-Semitism' to achieve its political interests and cover up its ongoing crimes against the Palestinian people.