Israel slams Council of Europe's ruling against circumcision

Israel strongly condemned on Friday a decision by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe that Jewish ritual circumcision is a "clear human rights violation."

With a majority of 78 in favor, 13 opposed and 15 abstentions, the council -- an international organization whose resolutions are non-binding but heavily influence EU countries -- deemed the practice a "violation of the physical integrity of children."

The council passed a resolution calling for a ban on "certain operations and practices … before a child is old enough to be consulted." The age suggested for allowing circumcision was 15.

The Foreign Ministry criticized the resolution, saying it "cast a moral stain" on the council and that it "fosters hate and racist trends in Europe." It further urged the council to annul its decision without delay.

The statement, posted on the Foreign Ministry's website, said: "After the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a resolution against circumcision, Israel calls on the Council to immediately rescind the resolution.

"Circumcision of male children is an ancient religious tradition of two important religions, Judaism and Islam, and it is also common among some Christian circles. Any comparison of this tradition to the reprehensible and barbaric practice of female genital mutilation is either appalling ignorance, at best, or defamation and anti-religious hatred, at worst.

"Claims that circumcision harms young boys’ health and bodies are false, and do not rest on any scientific evidence. Rather the contrary is true. For example, an official paper published by the American Academy of Pediatrics in August 2012 shows the health benefits of newborn male circumcision.

"The resolution of the PACE constitutes, therefore, an intolerable attack both on the respectable and ancient religious tradition that lies at the base of European culture, and on modern medical science and its findings. This resolution casts a moral stain on the Council of Europe, and fosters hate and racist trends in Europe. We call on the Council of Europe to act without delay in order to annul it."

European Jewry is concerned that the resolution will lead to actual legislation against the practice in EU states. President of the Conference of European Rabbis Rabbi Pinhas Goldschmidt was quoted by the Ynet news portal as saying that "the war against 'milah' [ritual circumcision] and 'shmitah' [ritual slaughter] conceals a new kind of anti-Semitism, and is a violation of the freedom of religion that all EU countries have signed."

"This is the first time in recent memory that aggressive political attacks on milah have found a legitimate vehicle at the European level," Milah U.K., a British nongovernmental organization working to defend Jewish ritual circumcision, told the Jewish Telegraph Agency following the vote.

While the ruling is nonbinding, "it does clearly demonstrate that the sustained campaign to conflate the deplorable practice of female genital mutilation with milah is gaining traction at the highest levels," Milah U.K. said.

The resolution also calls on EU-member states to "clearly define the medical, sanitary and other conditions to be ensured for practices such as the non-medically justified circumcision of young boys."

It additionally seeks to "initiate a public debate, including intercultural and interreligious dialogue, aimed at reaching a large consensus on the rights of children to protection against violations of their physical integrity according to human rights standards" and to "adopt specific legal provisions to ensure that certain operations and practices will not be carried out before a child is old enough to be consulted."

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