Republic of Hate - Podcast Three - The Green-Red Alliance and Middle Eastern Anti-Semitism

            Hello and welcome to Republic of Hate – Iran, Israel, and Anti-Semitism, in which we explore Iran’s hatred of Israel, Jews, and the West. These are essays by Dr. Mark Silinsky, president of Kensington Security Consulting, which brings education to the field of national security. Podcast three looks at an alliance between Islamists and Western left-wing elites. Hmm, very strange bedfellows, indeed. It then moves to Middle Eastern anti-Semitism. The Green-Red Alliance and Iran             Growing left-wing anti-Semitism spreads across Europe. It surged in autumn 2007 with the Israel-Hamas conflict. Jewish men often take off their skull caps when leaving their homes to avoid being assaulted or harassed. In France, roughly 7,000 began leaving by 2015. French Prime Minister Valls stated that “if 100,000 Jews leave, France will no longer be France. The French Republic will be judged a failure.” Some of this stems from traditional, nationalist anti-Semitism, but some is driven by a newer phenomenon of intersectionality. There is a surprising and often confusing alliance between Iranian leaders and Western social justice advocates, which is the focus of chapter seven. Disagreements over religion, women’s rights, gay rights, dress codes, alcohol consumption, and other social issues might seem to prevent effective political cooperation. Yet, they find common ground in anti-Americanism, anti-Zionism, a broad hostility toward Western norms and values, and a resurgence of European nationalism anti-Semitism.             Left-leaning Western intellectuals view traditional anti-Semitism as crude and outdated but are intensely anti-Israel, holding the country to unique political, social, and military standards. Many Western leftists and Islamists frequently use the term "social justice" in their speeches and writings. Iranian media outlets have adopted the language of social justice to promote their political goals. For example, an Iranian media producer claimed that American authorities incited violence against protesters of George Floyd's killing in a manner similar to how Israelis harm Palestinians.             The prospect of revolutionary change and the overthrow of the pro-American Shah excited many men and women on the European and American left. Several well-known professors, such as Richard Falk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, recalled, “I became rather uncomfortable after the first hour or so. I was very impressed by Ayatollah Khomeini’s demeanor, his dark, bright eyes, his softly spoken, confident words.”             Middle East Anti-Semitism Over the centuries, the fortunes of Middle Eastern Jews have changed. Many Muslim tribal and national leaders accepted Jews as long as they accepted their second-class, or dhimmi, status. However, widespread anger sometimes led to coordinated attacks on Jewish communities. Jews arrived in Palestine in large numbers as the Ottoman Empire was falling apart. Arabs and Iranians grew increasingly uneasy with the shifting demographics. Muslim power declined to its lowest point in political, technological, military, and scientific strength compared to the West. This caused a revival of Islam and resentment toward the heavy Western influence in the Middle East. Some Sunni and Shia leaders found common ground in anti-imperialism and anti-Semitism, which is discussed in chapter eight. Today, Iran, although estranged from many Sunni Middle Eastern governments, uses the Palestinian cause to rally global and domestic support. Many Sunni and Shia share a hatred of Israel, which will be the focus of future podcasts.             Projecting Anti-Semitism Abroad             Along with spreading hateful rhetoric, Iranian intelligence and security services plan and support terror operations targeting Jews worldwide, from Israel to Argentina. The Iranian regime has formed a coalition of militia leaders across the Middle East to help achieve its ideological and strategic goals. Parts of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or Guards, spread antisemitism internationally. The Guards have established a “Shia Crescent” stretching from Iran through parts of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen. Globally, Iran utilizes cultural centers to promote its agenda and ideology, including anti-Americanism and anti-Semitism. In one of the most devastating mass-murder attacks since Europeans were occupied, Iranian operatives have killed Jews unrelated to Israel.             Since the establishment of the Ayatollah’s regime, Iran has promoted the principles of the revolution worldwide. In Europe, Shia leaders praise the virtues of the Islamic Republic. Iran supports proxies with financial, political, propaganda, and organizational aid in the form of armed militias, which gradually infiltrate local politics, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, the Shia militias in Iraq, and the Shia clerics in Nigeria. Iran’s Guards likely bombed the Argentine Jewish community center in Buenos Aires in 1994, killing 85 and injuring 300. Argentina hosts the largest Jewish community in Latin America. According to German intelligence, Iran is spying on Israeli and pro-Israeli institutions, as well as Israeli citizens living there and individuals of the Jewish faith. The constitutional protection agency found that the Quds Force of the Guards paid a Pakistani man to identify Israeli and Jewish institutions and Israel supporters in Germany, France, and other unspecified Western European countries for potential attacks. This concludes this podcast from Republic of Hate – Iran, Israel, and Anti-Semitism. We would love to read your comments. Dr. Silinsky’s latest book – Cauldron of Terror – Israel, Hamas, and the World – will be available for purchase in summer 2026. Nothing in this or any of Dr. Silinsky’s podcasts represents the official position of the United States Department of War, the United States Intelligence Community, or any other agency of the United States government. On behalf of Kensington Security Consulting, thank you for listening, and goodbye until our next podcast.