Study: Conspiracy theories are ‘bridge’ between Jew-hatred, anti-Israel beliefs

There is a “substantial” relationship between antisemitism and hostility towards Israel, according to a new study that researchers say provides strong empirical evidence that the two are closely intertwined.

The study, published in American Psychologist, the flagship journal of the American Psychological Association, analyzed three preregistered surveys of more than 1,100 U.S. adults conducted between November 2023 and June 2024. Researchers found that antisemitism not only correlated with anti-Israel attitudes but also predicted them over time, with anti-Israel and anti-Zionist conspiracy theories serving as a key link in the relationship

Kent Harber, a psychology professor at Rutgers University-Newark and one of the study’s four co-authors, told JNS the research sought to respond to “very adamant, strong voices” that there is little to no connection between anti-Jewish and anti-Israel sentiments.

“For those who are saying there is no connection, that those who are claiming that there is a connection are only making the claim as a ruse to silence Israel’s critics, those assertions are not supported by our research,” said Harber, who is Jewish.

Although previous research has identified a correlation between antisemitism and anti-Israel attitudes, Harber said this study is the first to demonstrate that antisemitism “predicts anti-Israelism at a future time and that that connection is mediated by conspiracy beliefs.”

Researchers measured respondents’ endorsement of classic antisemitic stereotypes, anti-Israel attitudes, including the belief that Israel is primarily responsible for problems in the Middle East, and conspiracy theories involving Jews, Israel and Zionism.

Among the conspiracy beliefs examined were claims that “Israel instituted COVID-19 policies designed to harm Palestinians” and that “pro-Israel Jews wield undue power in government, finance and the media to groom attitudes and foist policies favorable to Israel,” the study states.

The study found that these anti-Israel and anti-Zionist conspiracy theories served as the “bridge” between antisemitism and hostility toward Israel.

“This animosity toward Jews connects to these fears and beliefs about all the sinister ways that Israel could be behaving,” Harber told JNS.

“This readiness to implicate Jews in the most exotic kinds of conspiracies has been an endemic quality of antisemitism,” he added. “So, it’s fitting that a connection of antisemitism to anti-Israelism would involve these conspiracy beliefs, because they’re such a core, central element of antisemitism.”

Researchers also found partisan differences. Republicans were more likely to endorse traditional antisemitic stereotypes, while Democrats were more likely to express anti-Israel attitudes and endorse anti-Israel or anti-Zionist conspiracy theories.

Harber said those findings “follow trends a number of other researchers have also found.”

The authors include the caveat that criticism of Israel is not inherently antisemitic, noting in the paper that “even inaccurate and unfair criticisms of Israel can reflect ignorance.”

“People can be critical of Israel for all kinds of reasons. They can be without any taint of antisemitism,” Harber told JNS. “But a meaningful quantum of anti-Israel sentiment seems to be informed by old-time antisemitism.”

Harber said that the data does not establish a causal relationship.

“We cannot confidently declare that antisemitism causes anti-Israelism, or that anti-Israelism causes antisemitism, or something else causes both to arise,” he said. “We can just say the two are very strongly associated.”

He added that the study “provides information that weighs in favor of” the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism.

“The IHRA definition has strong empirical support and deserves to be credited accordingly,” Harber told JNS.

Get the latest updates in our WhatsApp group.

Test yourself on one question pulled from JNS reporting. New puzzles daily.