Israeli group says anti-Semitism rising

JERUSALEM, Jan. 27 (UPI) -- An Israeli forum monitoring anti-Semitic activity worldwide says regional tensions in the Middle East may revive negative sentiments.

The Coordinating Forum for Countering Anti-Semitism says in its report on the third annual International Holocaust Remembrance Day Sunday that conflicts in the Middle East could renew anti-Semitic sentiments despite a decline in reported incidents worldwide, The Jerusalem Post reported.

The forum's report highlights activities in Australia, Russia and the United States as indicative of the rise in hate crimes. New York police, for example, reported a marked increase in crimes targeting Jewish diaspora, the report said.

The report says the increased role of right-wing political parties worldwide embracing an anti-immigration and anti-foreigner platform gives credence to perceptions of rising anti-Semitism.

Britain, France, Germany and Ukraine witnessed more organized anti-Semitic attacks as well, the report says.

"Let us not make the mistake of assuming that anti-Semitism is waning," Israeli Social Affairs Minister Isaac Herzog said Sunday.