German Foreign Minister Says 'Hatred of Jews' On the Rise Across Europe Following Gaza Conflict

Germany's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that "hatred of Jews" was on the rise in Germany and across Europe following the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip.

"Bold and brutal anti-semitism has shown its ugly face again," Steinmeier told an Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) event.

Steinmeier said that German Jews were being threatened and attacked at pro-Palestinian rallies and that the Gaza conflict was being used as justification by Muslim youths and far-right extremists for anti-Semitic incidents.

In Germany, slogans such as "Gas the Jews!" were heard at rallies during the Gaza conflict in July, in which more than 2,000 Palestinians were killed by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and 68 Israeli nationals, all but five soldiers.

Petrol bombs were also thrown at a synagogue in the city of Wuppertal, burning it down on the anniversary of Kristallnacht, a Nazi pogrom against the Jews in 1938.

Other speakers at the event included Karen Polak from the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. She said that "lots of outspoken violence" was being directed towards "Jews who obviously have no responsibility for the policies of the state of Israel".

"You see it time and time again -- when tension in the Middle East rises, anti-Semitic incidents in Europe rise," she said.

Samantha Power, US representative to the United Nations, said that anti-Semitic incidents "are not only a threat to the Jewish community, they are a threat to the larger project of European liberalism and pluralism".

It was revealed earlier this year that more Jewish people are emigrating to Israel from France than any other country after a wave of anti-Semitic attacks since June.

The violent attacks are mostly carried out by youths of Muslim origin, citing Israel's conflict with Hamas in Gaza.

In July, pro-Palestinian demonstrations twice erupted into anti-Jewish riots that ended with attempts to attack synagogues.