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How did the creation of Israel affect antisemitism in some parts of the Middle East?

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Antisemitism demonstration in Paris — antisemitism Demonstrators protesting antisemitism during a silent march in Paris. The march commemorated Mireille Knoll, a Jewish woman who had survived the Holocaust and was murdered in her home on March 23, 2018, in what authorities called a hate crime.

The creation of the State of Israel in 1948 served as a catalyst for increased hostility toward Jews in many countries across the Middle East. While Islamic societies had historically tolerated Jews as protected, albeit subordinate, dhimmis, the establishment of a Jewish state in a region previously dominated by Arab populations triggered new currents of anti-Jewish sentiment.1

This hostility was primarily political and religious in nature rather than racial. Following the state's founding, various Middle Eastern nations adopted anti-Jewish measures, leading most Jewish residents in those countries to immigrate to Israel. Over time, antisemitic myths that had largely been discarded in Western Europe—such as the Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion and the blood libel—gained traction in the Middle East, finding support among some governments, media outlets, and religious authorities. While observers note that Islam is not inherently antisemitic, these developments fostered an environment where fiercely anti-Israel and openly antisemitic beliefs became widespread.1