France called for a collective response to “one of the worst explosions of anti-Semitism” in Europe’s recent history, as EU ministers gathered to discuss the issue, AFP reports.

French European Affairs Minister Benjamin Haddad said he organised the gathering in Brussels with his Dutch counterpart to tackle a resurgence in anti-Semitic violence since the start of the offensive in Gaza.

“I wanted us to have… a frank conversation about the causes of the rise in anti-Semitism and the best ways to address it and really make it a priority for the European institutions,” Haddad told AFP.

The meeting was arranged after supporters of an Israeli football team were attacked in Amsterdam this month, in an incident condemned by Dutch and Israeli authorities as anti-Semitic.

Speaking after the talks, Haddad said however that Europe was witnessing “one of the worst outbreaks of anti-Semitism” since World War II.

“When we talk about anti-Semitism, it is not just the defence of European Jewish communities that is at stake, it is the preservation… of our fundamental values,” he said.