From the far right to progressives, groups that will not tolerate criticism of Israel have varied motivations. But they all delegitimise the validity of a Palestinian liberation movement
There is no doubt that antisemitism, and any other form of racism and bigotry, must be fought decisively, and that the critical struggle against these must be one of the clear lessons to be learned on this day.
However, one of the most disturbing phenomena of the last decade or two is the identification of anti-Zionism and even harsh criticism of Israel with antisemitism, as well as the reverse identification of “contemporary” antisemitism first and foremost with anti-Zionism and even criticism of Israel.
These identifications are serious because they are derived from alleged lessons of the Holocaust. And so it appears that any substantial criticism of Israel and Zionism is perceived in public opinion, and especially among national and international political and cultural institutions, as an ideological continuation of the Holocaust.
Thus the emancipatory struggle of the Palestinians for liberation and decolonisation is tagged as a struggle that is in fact a direct continuation of the Holocaust and Nazism.
Dispossessing colonial movement
Arab and especially Palestinian opposition to Zionism is not antisemitic but political. From its inception, and certainly after the 1917 Balfour Declaration, Zionism was perceived as a dispossessing colonial movement designed to take over the land from its indigenous inhabitants in order to establish a political entity with a Jewish majority.
As four recent reports by reliable and respected Israeli and international human rights organisations (Yesh Din, B’Tselem, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International) have shown, Israel has established – certainly in the occupied West Bank but also within the territory of the State of Israel – a regime of structural apartheid and denial of rights.
New antisemitism’
This does not mean, of course, that there can be no antisemitic motives in opposition to Israeli policy or Zionism, nor does it mean that this opposition cannot use antisemitic images and ideas. This does happen.
First and foremost, Israel, which seems to fail to convincingly justify its occupation, settlement and colonisation policies – particularly in the Occupied West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza – within any democratic and liberal discourse, and therefore uses the weapon of antisemitism, which has become taboo in all western countries, with great success.
The ultra and populist right – from the AfD party in Germany to Trump, broad wings of the Republican Party and supporters of white supremacy in the US – identify with Israeli racist colonial policies by supporting it and identifying antisemitism with anti-Israelism and anti-Zionism. They try to legitimise themselves and hide their own heavy loads of antisemitism and racism.
Contradictions
This coalition is not made of one skin. It is full of contradictions and includes populists, the far right and white supremacists, with liberals and even progressives; it includes Israel and Zionist supporters who want to strengthen Jewish existence in Israel, together with European elements who want to strengthen Jewish existence in Europe (which is traditionally considered an anti-Zionist goal).
What they all have in common, however, is that in practice, whether intentionally or not they are completely delegitimising the Palestinian national narrative, which legitimately views Zionism as a racist colonial enterprise that has established a modular regime of negating rights of the indigenous people.
Whether intentionally or not, they all participate in radically transforming the image of the Palestinian national movement from an emancipatory liberation movement whose basic demands are legitimate and just (even if one thinks that they cannot all be met) to a racist and antisemitic movement.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/israel-broad-coalition-conflates-anti-zionism-antisemitism