US Ambassador to United Nations Samantha Power. Photo: David Karp / ADL.

It is “undeniable” that antisemitism still exists and is even getting worse in some places, a top-ranking American diplomat told a United Nations forum in New York on Wednesday.

“[T]he sheer geographic diversity of the hate is really quite striking,” US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power said during an address at the world body’s headquarters in New York.

Power made three recommendations on how to tackle the problem of antisemitism across the globe.

“First, we need to develop more effective tools to monitor and confront antisemitism online and in social media,” Power said, echoing Israeli UN envoy Danny Danon, who in a preceding speech to the same forum on Wednesday called for “immediate and concrete action” against antisemitism that is spread on the internet.

Also, Power said, “we must insist on maintaining a distinction between legitimate criticism of Israel and antisemitism.”

Finally, Power stated, “we must underscore the fact that antisemitism poses a threat not only to Jews, but to the principles of pluralism, diversity, and the fundamental freedoms that we hold most dear. Time and again throughout history, we have seen that when the human rights of Jews are violated, the rights of others are not far behind.”

Power also praised the dozens of Hungarians who have given back a prestigious award after their government decided to grant one to a journalist known for making antisemitic and racist comments.

The one-day forum that took place on Wednesday was a follow-up to a special General Assembly meeting on antisemitism that was convened last year. In addition to Power and Danon, participants in Wednesday’s event included UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Canadian Ambassador Marc-André Blanchard and EU Ambassador  João Vale de Almeida, among other officials.