Probably. The evidence suggests not only that anti-Zionism doesn’t equal antisemitism but that while some anti-Zionists are indeed antisemites, Jew-hatred in the United States and Europe is more prevalent among supporters of the Jewish state. I’ll explain why below.
I think it's interesting how leftists like Beinart and his friends, who see any form of inequity, no matter how small, as ironclad proof of large scale systemic overwhelming institutional racism. Yet somehow, they see nothing wrong with Jews and only Jews being deprived of their national rights and sovereignty. You'd think they'd be able to recognize a minority being singled out and mistreated, but apparently not.
It must be nice to live in a fantasy world where, if only Jews gave up statehood, then everything would be fine. But even pluralistic democracies like the US and the UK have serious issues with institutional racism and discrimination (as I'm sure leftists like Beinart would agree), and Palestine is far from a pluralistic democracy. Anyone who truly cares about Jews and the rights of Jewish people would not advocate for them to be forced into a binational state where their rights and even their lives cannot even be remotely guaranteed.
The question is: do Jews (like every other people in the world) get an opportunity to have their own state? The consensus I am seeing from you and others is "no" which you may not define as antisemitism, but certainly qualifies as some sort of bad feeling (whether you want to call it hatred is another matter).
It doesn't help that the anti-zionists seem perfect content to watch Jews die for the sake of Jews dying.
2) Your measurements of antisemitism are based on hatred of local/Diaspora Jews. Not wanting to Jews to have power in your country, for instance. I would argue that desiring Jewish powerlessness is a common factor of left and right antisemites, just that right antisemites are with Jews' wielding distant power in a nation state but fear Diaspora Jews' political and economic influence; whereas left Jews are more ok with Jewish economic/political influence in US/Europe but distrust concentrated collective Jewish power (nation state) and are quite willing to downplay Hamas' antisemitism and the real threat it poses to Jewish lives. Both seek Jews' returning to a medieval state of powerlessness, marginality and vulnerability, and want us to fit their desired place for us in the world (for Hungarian fascists Jews are ok if they're far away in the Middle East; for American campus radicals Jews are ok as long as they are a minority of less than 2% in every country and as long as they disavow all affiliations with Israel, both the nation-state and the land). Both sets want less Jewish power and more control over what type of Jews and what type of Jewishness are acceptable.
Peter, you seem to define anti-Zionism as opposition to an Israeli state that privileges Jews over Gentiles. In that case, Israel's own Declaration of Independence is an anti-Zionist document, since it calls for full equality for all of Israel's citizens, regardless of ethnicity.
The USA and Europe are not the only places that exist. Is there a reason you focus only on those two places? I'm not sure even your empirical data or interpretation thereof is correct, but in any case among Muslims in Muslim-majority countries anti-Zionism is the norm, and Muslims in Muslim-majority countries are antisemitic. For example in Pakistan antisemitism is common and anti-Zionism is universal and expected. You acknowledged Muslim antisemitism yet somehow didn't see the implications it has for your thesis.
Iam a Muslim and I agree with you 100 percent. At the end of the day we have to fight both anti semitism and Islamophobia or anti Muslim bigotry where ever we find it...even though I understand why some muslims hate the jews because of the actions of Israel is never okay to do that and it is dangerous path to go .
Excuse me sir but Ive engaged with Salman Abu Sitta and the Anti Zionists on Facebook and I can tell you that they seek a Palestinian majority in a single state so that they can repeal the law of return for Jews thereby undermining Jewish autonomy. There is an antidote to this that meets all of the Palestinians legitimate needs including return but Abu Sitta rejected the model. They are trying to turn the clocks back to 1939. Be careful what you wish for. Abu Sitta's rejection of the Supranational Federation Model whose dual Parliamentary Structure nullifies the demographic issue proves that BDS is a Supremacist movement. https://www.pa-il.org/
Is Zahra Billoo's recent speech anti-Zionist, antisemitic, or both?
Zahra Billoo is the executive director of CAIR - San Francisco Bay Area. Note that the word "Israel" is not mentioned once in this speech.
* * * * *
"“We need to pay attention to the Anti-Defamation League. We need to pay attention to the Jewish Federation. We need to pay attention to the Zionist synagogues. We need to pay attention to the Hillel chapters on our campuses. Because just because they are your friend today doesn’t mean that they have your back when it comes to human rights.
So oppose the vehement fascists, but oppose the polite Zionists too. They are not your friends. They will not be there for you when you need them. They will take your friendship and through your Palestinian brothers and sisters under the bus . . .
When we think about Islamophobia and Zionism, let’s be clear about the connections . . . . There is no difference between domestic policy and foreign policy when it comes to those who seek to target us, and by the way, you should be a monthly donor to American Muslims for Palestine . . .
Know who is on your side . . . Because the next thing I am going to tell you is to know your enemies, and I’m not going to sugar coat that. They are your enemies.
There are organizations and infrastructure out there who are working to harm you. Make no mistake of it. They would sell you down the line if they could, and they very well often do behind your back. I mean the Zionist organizations. I mean the foreign policy organizations who say they are not Zionists but want a 2-state solution . . . so know your enemies.”
* * * * *
Yes, many do not like MEMRI, but this speech is scary, as it a direct attack on my synagogue and my community by claiming that we are the enemy of American Muslims and would stab the Muslim community behind its back.
There must be a better way to fight Islamophobia then to attack the American Jewish community and its institutions.
Hasn't the term "anti-Semitism" from its coining in 19th-century Germany always meant the notion that since Jews are Semitic and not European in origin, they don't deserve to have the same rights and privileges as White people? That is how the term has been used both by anti-Semites and people who fight against anti-Semitism. The core idea of anti-Semitism is that Jews differ racially from Europeans. Ironically, the Zionist narrative itself plays up this notion, that Jews don't belong in Europe, but in Palestine, because that's where they're "really" from.
Talking about "anti-Semitism" among non-whites has seemed to me to be the wrong term, not just for the usual reason that "Arabs are Semites too", but because the phenomenon that goes by the name "anti-Semitism" has always been about the dynamic between White society and Jews. My impression from Palestinians is that a lot of Palestinians hate Jews, obviously, but it's not based on the idea of Jews belonging to a separate race; indeed, they will freely acknowledge that their own ancestors who lived in Palestine before Islam and Christianity were probably Jews.
"This Friday’s call will be about “settler-colonialism.” If you follow pro-Palestinian discourse, you’ve probably heard the term. It suggests that Israel—like the US and Australia—is a country created by settlers who dominated and displaced the indigenous population. If you follow pro-Israel discourse, you may have heard this claim rejected as inaccurate and offensive."
Readers who follow the pro-Israel discourse of the ADL may have gotten the impression that settler colonialism is something that did not happen in the US and Australia, but in some other parts of the world:
"Allegation: Israel is a Settler Colonialist Enterprise
"The term “settler colonialism” conjures historical memories of exploitative white European empires militarily invading lands in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, implanting their citizens in colonies through the use of force, subjugating the native and indigenous populations and stealing their natural resources."
No hint anywhere in this piece by the ADL that the US is a settler colonialist enterprise, even though the ADL is based in the US, and this is written for an audience of predominantly US residents.
I think it's interesting how leftists like Beinart and his friends, who see any form of inequity, no matter how small, as ironclad proof of large scale systemic overwhelming institutional racism. Yet somehow, they see nothing wrong with Jews and only Jews being deprived of their national rights and sovereignty. You'd think they'd be able to recognize a minority being singled out and mistreated, but apparently not.
It must be nice to live in a fantasy world where, if only Jews gave up statehood, then everything would be fine. But even pluralistic democracies like the US and the UK have serious issues with institutional racism and discrimination (as I'm sure leftists like Beinart would agree), and Palestine is far from a pluralistic democracy. Anyone who truly cares about Jews and the rights of Jewish people would not advocate for them to be forced into a binational state where their rights and even their lives cannot even be remotely guaranteed.
The question is: do Jews (like every other people in the world) get an opportunity to have their own state? The consensus I am seeing from you and others is "no" which you may not define as antisemitism, but certainly qualifies as some sort of bad feeling (whether you want to call it hatred is another matter).
It doesn't help that the anti-zionists seem perfect content to watch Jews die for the sake of Jews dying.
1) Link to zoom event?
2) Your measurements of antisemitism are based on hatred of local/Diaspora Jews. Not wanting to Jews to have power in your country, for instance. I would argue that desiring Jewish powerlessness is a common factor of left and right antisemites, just that right antisemites are with Jews' wielding distant power in a nation state but fear Diaspora Jews' political and economic influence; whereas left Jews are more ok with Jewish economic/political influence in US/Europe but distrust concentrated collective Jewish power (nation state) and are quite willing to downplay Hamas' antisemitism and the real threat it poses to Jewish lives. Both seek Jews' returning to a medieval state of powerlessness, marginality and vulnerability, and want us to fit their desired place for us in the world (for Hungarian fascists Jews are ok if they're far away in the Middle East; for American campus radicals Jews are ok as long as they are a minority of less than 2% in every country and as long as they disavow all affiliations with Israel, both the nation-state and the land). Both sets want less Jewish power and more control over what type of Jews and what type of Jewishness are acceptable.
Peter, you seem to define anti-Zionism as opposition to an Israeli state that privileges Jews over Gentiles. In that case, Israel's own Declaration of Independence is an anti-Zionist document, since it calls for full equality for all of Israel's citizens, regardless of ethnicity.
The USA and Europe are not the only places that exist. Is there a reason you focus only on those two places? I'm not sure even your empirical data or interpretation thereof is correct, but in any case among Muslims in Muslim-majority countries anti-Zionism is the norm, and Muslims in Muslim-majority countries are antisemitic. For example in Pakistan antisemitism is common and anti-Zionism is universal and expected. You acknowledged Muslim antisemitism yet somehow didn't see the implications it has for your thesis.
Iam a Muslim and I agree with you 100 percent. At the end of the day we have to fight both anti semitism and Islamophobia or anti Muslim bigotry where ever we find it...even though I understand why some muslims hate the jews because of the actions of Israel is never okay to do that and it is dangerous path to go .
Peter, do you believe that "“Israelis behave like Nazis towards the Palestinians" is an antisemitic statement? You seem to imply that you do.
Excuse me sir but Ive engaged with Salman Abu Sitta and the Anti Zionists on Facebook and I can tell you that they seek a Palestinian majority in a single state so that they can repeal the law of return for Jews thereby undermining Jewish autonomy. There is an antidote to this that meets all of the Palestinians legitimate needs including return but Abu Sitta rejected the model. They are trying to turn the clocks back to 1939. Be careful what you wish for. Abu Sitta's rejection of the Supranational Federation Model whose dual Parliamentary Structure nullifies the demographic issue proves that BDS is a Supremacist movement. https://www.pa-il.org/
Is Zahra Billoo's recent speech anti-Zionist, antisemitic, or both?
Zahra Billoo is the executive director of CAIR - San Francisco Bay Area. Note that the word "Israel" is not mentioned once in this speech.
* * * * *
"“We need to pay attention to the Anti-Defamation League. We need to pay attention to the Jewish Federation. We need to pay attention to the Zionist synagogues. We need to pay attention to the Hillel chapters on our campuses. Because just because they are your friend today doesn’t mean that they have your back when it comes to human rights.
So oppose the vehement fascists, but oppose the polite Zionists too. They are not your friends. They will not be there for you when you need them. They will take your friendship and through your Palestinian brothers and sisters under the bus . . .
When we think about Islamophobia and Zionism, let’s be clear about the connections . . . . There is no difference between domestic policy and foreign policy when it comes to those who seek to target us, and by the way, you should be a monthly donor to American Muslims for Palestine . . .
Know who is on your side . . . Because the next thing I am going to tell you is to know your enemies, and I’m not going to sugar coat that. They are your enemies.
There are organizations and infrastructure out there who are working to harm you. Make no mistake of it. They would sell you down the line if they could, and they very well often do behind your back. I mean the Zionist organizations. I mean the foreign policy organizations who say they are not Zionists but want a 2-state solution . . . so know your enemies.”
* * * * *
Yes, many do not like MEMRI, but this speech is scary, as it a direct attack on my synagogue and my community by claiming that we are the enemy of American Muslims and would stab the Muslim community behind its back.
There must be a better way to fight Islamophobia then to attack the American Jewish community and its institutions.
.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AxxiROIvWo
Hasn't the term "anti-Semitism" from its coining in 19th-century Germany always meant the notion that since Jews are Semitic and not European in origin, they don't deserve to have the same rights and privileges as White people? That is how the term has been used both by anti-Semites and people who fight against anti-Semitism. The core idea of anti-Semitism is that Jews differ racially from Europeans. Ironically, the Zionist narrative itself plays up this notion, that Jews don't belong in Europe, but in Palestine, because that's where they're "really" from.
Talking about "anti-Semitism" among non-whites has seemed to me to be the wrong term, not just for the usual reason that "Arabs are Semites too", but because the phenomenon that goes by the name "anti-Semitism" has always been about the dynamic between White society and Jews. My impression from Palestinians is that a lot of Palestinians hate Jews, obviously, but it's not based on the idea of Jews belonging to a separate race; indeed, they will freely acknowledge that their own ancestors who lived in Palestine before Islam and Christianity were probably Jews.
"This Friday’s call will be about “settler-colonialism.” If you follow pro-Palestinian discourse, you’ve probably heard the term. It suggests that Israel—like the US and Australia—is a country created by settlers who dominated and displaced the indigenous population. If you follow pro-Israel discourse, you may have heard this claim rejected as inaccurate and offensive."
Readers who follow the pro-Israel discourse of the ADL may have gotten the impression that settler colonialism is something that did not happen in the US and Australia, but in some other parts of the world:
https://www.adl.org/resources/glossary-terms/allegation-israel-is-a-settler-colonialist-enterprise
"Allegation: Israel is a Settler Colonialist Enterprise
"The term “settler colonialism” conjures historical memories of exploitative white European empires militarily invading lands in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, implanting their citizens in colonies through the use of force, subjugating the native and indigenous populations and stealing their natural resources."
No hint anywhere in this piece by the ADL that the US is a settler colonialist enterprise, even though the ADL is based in the US, and this is written for an audience of predominantly US residents.