Once more: criticising Israel does not equal antisemitism
JVL Introduction
Rather than criticism of Israel being equivalent to antisemitism, it is a challenge to Jewish exceptionalism and to anti Palestinian racism. Here a snapshot from Australia that will be all too familiar in the UK (and elsewhere in the world). The writer here provides examples of social media and other attacks on people who speak out in support of Palestinians and asks, imagine if these comments were being made about Jews.
This conflation of Jews with Israel, Judaism with Zionism and criticism of Israel or even the ideology of Zionism with antisemitism helps nobody but bigots. It does not educate people about hatred of and discrimination against Jews nor protect Palestinians or, indeed Israelis. It further feeds the lie, rightly opposed even in so called IHRA definition, that Jews are responsible for what Israel does up to and including the “plausible genocide” in Gaza and the ethnic cleansing there and in the West Bank. Of course, some of the most vicious language is aimed at Jews like those involved in JVL and Jewish organisations throughout the world with whom we work through Global Jews for Palestine.
We post this merely to demonstrate that this is all too common. If we are to fight racism, let alone find a way to peace, security and dignity for all between the river and the sea, then this needs to be no longer tolerated.
LL
This article was originally published by Medium on Wed 12 Feb 2025. Read the original here.
Apparently supporters of Israel can’t be racist
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Let’s not get too excited about stuff like this. The quotes from X by Alex Rychin and Mark Leibler are thoroughly unpleasant and of doubtful veracity, but they are nothing more than that. There are no threats of violence in either of them. No doubt some people will take offence and others will complain it is unfair that tweets like this can be made with impunity, whilst anyone tweeting in support of Palestinians or condemning the actions of the state of Israel in Gaza, the Occupied Territories, Lebanon or Syria, is likely to face a barrage of attacks.
And let’s not become ‘Snowflakes’: in 1948 on the eve of the coming of the NHS, Nye Bevan made a speech in which he said “…no amount of cajolery, and no attempts at ethical or social seduction, can eradicate from my heart a deep burning hatred for the Tory party that inflicted those bitter experiences on me. So far as I am concerned, they are lower than vermin”. My wife has a teeshirt with this quote on it and I’ve been heard to say ‘I’ll go to Margaret Thatcher’s funeral, just to make sure she’s dead’.
What’s sauce for the goose …
I lived in the very south of the Netherlands in the 1930s and our priest and rabbi were great friends. I never understood antisemitism and always thought that it is caught like any other disease.