Arabic version: مقال رأي يربط الاستراتيجية الغربية لإسرائيل بالإسلاموفوبيا

According to Al Jazeera, former US State Department official Josh Paul argues that Israel is seeking to bolster its standing in the West by amplifying fears of “Radical Islam” and rallying right-wing support.

Paul points to the newly created “Sharia-Free America Caucus” in the United States and describes a broader rise in anti-Muslim rhetoric. He writes that Republican inclusivity efforts seen after the September 11, 2001 attacks have largely been replaced by bigotry, citing the abandonment of a proposed foot-washing station at Dallas Fort Worth international airport following criticism from Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

The opinion article says Israel hosted an anti-Semitism conference in Jerusalem in January attended by European far-right figures, including representatives from Poland’s PiS, Spain’s Vox, Hungary’s Fidesz and France’s Rassemblement National. Netanyahu told attendees they were allies in fighting what he called the “invasion of radical Islam,” the article says.

Paul also cites a leaked study solicited by Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs from US public relations firm Stagwell Global. The study reportedly found that driving fear of “Radical Islam” and “Jihadism” was the most effective way to shift public opinion. The article further references a 2024 Canadian social media operation, United Citizens for Canada, which it says was Israeli-government-funded.

The article characterises the effort as a foreign influence operation and argues that it could deepen harm to Muslim communities. It notes, however, that primary wins by Muslim congressional candidates including Abdul El-Sayed show that Islamophobic rhetoric has also faced cross-community rejection. Al Jazeera notes that the views expressed are Paul’s own and do not necessarily reflect its editorial stance.