Official Statements
Memorandum of Understanding on Anti-Semitism
October 27, 2020
On October 22, 2020, Dr. Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa of the King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence and Elan S. Carr, the U.S. Department of State Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat anti-Semitism, signed a memorandum of understanding on anti-Semitism in Washington, D.C. The document outlines goals to eradicate anti-Semitism and promote respect and peaceful coexistence between Arab and Jewish people through education and programs.
“This Memorandum of Understanding executed between my Office and the King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence is groundbreaking in that it is the first time in history we are seeing Arab partners formally join the United States in combatting anti-Semitism and the delegitimization of the State of Israel; and employing the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism,” said Special Envoy Carr. “This partnership will build a future of tolerance, harmony, and peace for generations to come.”
The agreement illustrates warming ties between Bahrain and Israel following the Abraham Accords Declaration and also advances historical ties between Jewish and Arab people in Bahrain.
“The Kingdom of Bahrain has been home to a proud Jewish community since the 1880s,” said Ellie Cohanim, U.S. Assistant Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism. “This Memorandum of Understanding further emphasizes the Kingdom’s model for combating hatred and anti-Semitism; and a model for a society that actively espouses religious freedom, tolerance and diversity of peoples.”
The following is the text of a Memorandum of Understanding between the King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence and the Office of the United States Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, signed October 22, 2020.
Begin text:
WHEREAS Arabs and Jews are both Semitic peoples that are threatened by hatred or intolerance toward Semitic peoples;
WHEREAS all peoples of the Middle East should aspire to coexist in tolerance and mutual respect;
WHEREAS the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) has adopted a widely accepted definition of anti-Semitism that incorporates examples of its various manifestations;
WHEREAS anti-Semitism is a vile poison that must be eradicated from the world;
WHEREAS purveyors of anti-Semitism in the Middle East seek to spread this evil as a political tool to manipulate the Arab and Muslim world;
WHEREAS His Majesty King Hamad bin Issa Al-Khalifa has made it a top priority for Bahrain to lead the Middle East toward a future of tolerance, mutual respect, and cooperation between Muslims and Jews; and
WHEREAS President Donald J. Trump and Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo have made it a top priority for the United States to combat all forms of anti-Semitism in all parts of the world;
THEREFORE, the King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence (the King Hamad Centre) and the Office of the United States Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism (SEAS), hereinafter the Participants, hereby set forth the following understandings:
(1) The King Hamad Centre and SEAS intend to work together to develop and implement programs to promote mutual respect, appreciation, and peaceful coexistence between the Arab and Jewish peoples and their respective nation-states, and between all faiths in the Middle East; The spirit of this cooperation is intended to be guided by the principles of the Kingdom of Bahrain Declaration of July 3, 2017;
(2) The King Hamad Centre and SEAS intend to work together to develop and implement programs to recognize and celebrate the periods of good will and harmony that existed between Jews and Arabs living side-by-side throughout the Middle East;
(3) The King Hamad Centre and SEAS intend to cooperate in developing educational programs aimed at teaching all children of the Middle East the values of mutual respect, appreciation, and peaceful coexistence; such programs are intended to build upon the King Hamad Faith in Leadership Fellows Programme, the King Hamad Cyber Peace Academy, and other related programs;
(4) The King Hamad Centre and SEAS intend to work together to share and promote best practices for combating all forms of anti-Semitism, including anti-Zionism and the delegitimization of the State of Israel;
(5) The King Hamad Centre and SEAS intend to work together to share and promote best practices for combating other kinds of intolerance and hatred;
(6) The King Hamad Centre and SEAS each intends to bear its own costs for any cooperation and activities taken in furtherance of this Memorandum of Understanding (MOU);
(7) The King Hamad Centre and SEAS intend to develop the activities and areas of cooperation under this MOU through a periodic work plan and intend to develop the first work plan within six months of signature of this MOU;
(8) As used herein, the term “anti-Semitism” is defined by reference to and in accordance with the Working Definition of Antisemitism as adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) in its Bucharest plenary on May 26, 2016, including the examples set forth as part of the definition;
(9) Cooperation under this MOU is intended to commence upon signature and is intended to be operative for three years, subject to written renewal for a similar period. Either the King Hamad Centre or SEAS may unilaterally discontinue this MOU at any time, with written notice given to the other Participant.
SIGNED at Washington, DC, this 22nd day of October, 2020, in duplicate in the English language.
FOR THE KING HAMAD GLOBAL CENTRE FOR PEACEFUL COEXISTENCE:
Dr. Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa Al-Khalifa
Chairman of the Board of Trustees
FOR THE OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES SPECIAL ENVOY TO MONITOR AND COMBAT ANTI-SEMITISM:
Elan S. Carr