Dana Erlich, the Chargé d’Affaires of the Israeli Embassy in Spain, signs the guestbook at the headquarters of the Community of Madrid. Photo: David Canales / SOPA Images

Israel has once again accused the Spanish government of fueling antisemitism through its anti-Israel rhetoric and alleged incitement of hatred, the latest escalation in the tense relationship between Jerusalem and Madrid.

In an interview with N12 News, Israel’s acting ambassador to Spain, Dana Erlich, said the Spanish government’s stance on Israel is motivated not by solidarity with the Palestinian cause but by a desire to harm the Jewish state.

“We are in a truly difficult situation with the Spanish government,” Erlich said. “I came here without illusions about the current government’s stance or what could be achieved. But I arrived with the belief that all is not lost and that there is still room for dialogue and a diversity of opinions.”

Since the start of the war in Gaza, Spain has become one of Israel’s fiercest critics, a stance that has only intensified in recent months, coinciding with a shocking rise in antisemitic incidents targeting the local Jewish community — from violent assaults and vandalism to protests and legal actions.

“It is important to clearly distinguish the current Spanish government from the rest of the country, including the broader political sphere, opposition parties, the media, and civil society organizations,” Erlich said.

The Israeli diplomat stressed that most Spaniards do not view Israel as an enemy, and that the government’s stance is not representative of the country as a whole.

“We cannot let this government’s anti-Israel stance hold us back; we must step up our efforts and increase our visibility,” Erlich said.

Since assuming her role earlier this year, Erlich has worked to maintain meetings, personal contacts, and engagement in cultural, economic, and academic arenas, despite government efforts to hinder such activities.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has increasingly faced backlash from his country’s political leaders and the Jewish community, who accuse him of fueling antisemitic hostility.

These criticisms intensified following incidents at the Vuelta a España cycling race, with political leaders claiming he has repeatedly incited hatred through his anti-Israel rhetoric and exploitation of the Palestinian cause.

“Like in many other parts of the world, we are deeply concerned about the rise of antisemitism here,” Erlich said. “What is even more alarming is the authorities’ failure to recognize or acknowledge this increase.”

“Antisemitism has existed for a long time, but here in particular, rhetoric and criticism of Israel often spill over into generalizations and the demonization of all Israelis,” the Israeli diplomat continued.

“Spain is a signatory to the Declaration on Combating Antisemitism, yet this blanket generalization and targeting of all Israelis violates the Declaration — and fits the very definition of antisemitism,” Erlich said.

Since the start of the war in Gaza, Spain has launched a fierce anti-Israel campaign aimed at undermining the Jewish state on the international stage.

In one of its latest attempts to curb Israel’s defensive campaign against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, Madrid has decided to block US military planes and ships from using Spanish bases to transport weapons and equipment to Jerusalem.

Last month, Sánchez also unveiled new policies targeting Israel over the war in Gaza, including an arms embargo and a ban on certain Israeli goods.

The Spanish government announced it would bar entry to individuals involved in what it called a “genocide against Palestinians,” block Israel-bound ships and aircraft carrying weapons from Spanish ports and airspace, and enforce an embargo on products from Israeli communities in the West Bank.

Spain has also canceled a €700 million ($825 million) deal for Israeli-designed rocket launchers, as the government conducts a broader review to systematically phase out Israeli weapons and technology from its armed forces.

A drone view of the “Arbeit macht frei” gate at the former Auschwitz concentration camp ahead of the 80th anniversary of its liberation, Oswiecim, Poland, Jan. 10, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

Canada has handed down its first-ever jail sentence for Holocaust denial.

A court in North Bay, Ontario, sentenced Kenneth Paulin, 51, to nine months behind bars and two years of probation after finding him guilty of willfully promoting hatred against Jews and “condoning, denying, or downplaying the Holocaust.” Crown prosecutors confirmed that the ruling on Sept. 18 marked the first time in Canadian history that someone has received imprisonment specifically for denying the historical reality of the Nazi genocide against the Jewish people.

The conviction followed a seven-month investigation by the North Bay Police Service’s Criminal Investigation Section. Police said they launched the probe in November 2024 after receiving complaints about Paulin’s online posting. Following multiple warrants and a request to Ontario’s Attorney General for formal approval, law enforcement arrested and charged Paulin in June.

Authorities said his assortment of social media posts and videos targeted Jews with slurs, conspiracy theories, and calls to violence. He called Jews “demons” and said they are “to blame for every American who falls.” He condemned Jews as responsible for “almost 100 percent” of the world’s problems. He even called for a “Worldwide Jew Hunt” and said that “antisemitism is the only thing that can save the world.” In one video he titled “Their victim card gets permanently denied as the hollow-cost-Hoax is exposed” he mocked the Holocaust as a “hoax,” while another post read, “Six million didn’t happen, but it should’ve.”

In a community impact submission to the court, Jaime Kirzner-Roberts, senior director of policy and advocacy at the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies (FSWC), described the content as “an orchestrated effort to spread hatred, to normalize antisemitism, and to encourage others to view Jews as enemies to be mocked, hunted, and destroyed.”

Kirzner-Roberts said that “the vile antisemitism we are confronting today has inflicted deep and lasting harm on Jewish Canadians, the minority group most frequently targeted by hate crimes in this country. But it’s important to note that such hatred does not end with Jews – it corrodes our democracy, emboldens extremists, and threatens the values that hold Canada together.”

The statement praised those who had investigated, charged, and prosecuted Paulin.

“We are grateful to police, the Attorney General, and Crown prosecutors for ensuring this precedent-setting case was pursued with the seriousness it deserves. We are also pleased that a jail sentence has been handed down, not only for the incitement of hatred against Jews, but also for the denial and glorification of the Holocaust,” Kirzner-Roberts stated. “By standing firmly against such hateful rhetoric, this ruling affirms that every Canadian deserves to live with dignity, safety and freedom, free from intimidation, dehumanization, and fear.”

The North Bay Police Service stressed that the case was a reflection of the impact that hate crimes can have on a community. Acting Deputy Chief Jeff Warner said the investigation demonstrated “the great work being done by the officers in our Criminal Investigation Section” and emphasized a commitment to “sending the message that hate has no place in today’s society.”

Canada’s Criminal Code has long criminalized the “willful promotion of hatred” under Section 319, but until recently it did not explicitly single out Holocaust denial. That changed in 2022, when the Canadian Parliament adopted Bill C-19, a budget law that added a new subsection, 319(2.1), making it a crime to “willfully promote antisemitism by condoning, denying, or downplaying the Holocaust.” The amendment carries a maximum of two years’ imprisonment.

The statute defines the Holocaust as “the planned and deliberate state-sponsored persecution and annihilation of European Jewry by the Nazis and their collaborators,” and applies to public communications outside private conversation.

With the new subsection, Canada joins a group of countries that explicitly outlaw Holocaust denial. In Germany, Section 130 of the criminal code (Volksverhetzung) makes denial, trivialization, or glorification of the Nazi genocide punishable by up to five years in prison. In France, the 1990 Gayssot Act criminalizes questioning crimes against humanity, including the Holocaust. Austria, Belgium, Hungary, Poland, and Romania are among the other countries with similar laws. A 2021 study by the European Parliament noted wide variation in enforcement but confirmed that the principle is well-established in Europe that Holocaust denial is not protected speech but a form of incitement.

Paulin’s conviction reflects the continued proliferation of Holocaust denial propaganda, which can often reflect the paradoxical sentiment of rejecting the historicity of the Nazis’ crimes against humanity, while simultaneously wishing they had occurred, as the convict revealed in his posting “Six million didn’t happen, but it should’ve.”

A UNESCO report in 2022 found that 16.2 percent of Holocaust-related content on major social media platforms involved denial or distortion. On fringe platforms, the proportion rose to 49 percent. The United Nations has warned that social media continues to amplify denial narratives, feeding extremist propaganda and violent ideologies.

In Canada, antisemitic hate crimes have spiked to new highs. According to an annual audit by B’nai Brith Canada, there were 5,791 incidents reported in 2023, with nearly half occurring online. Jews remain the religious minority most frequently targeted by hate crimes in the country.

The outside front cover and side of Kibbutz Be’eri’s new Yom Kippur prayer book. Photo: Koren Publishing

During Yom Kippur services this year, Kibbutz Be’eri in southern Israel will use new machzors (Jewish holiday prayer books) that were created exclusively for the community ahead of the two-year anniversary of the deadly terrorist attack on Oct. 7, 2023, Israel’s Koren Publishing shared on its Facebook page.

The new prayer books include both Sephardi and Ashkenazi traditions in a single volume, according to the Israeli publisher. It says “Kibbutz Be’eri” in Hebrew on the cover and size panel. In the center of the cover is a Hebrew message that means “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” Koren Publishing partnered with Kibbutz Be’eri to create the special edition prayer books, which will not be available for purchase by the general public.