We reject antisemitism in all its forms, including when it masquerades as criticism of Zionism or Israel’s policies. We also recognise that, as journalist Peter Beinart wrote in 2019, “Anti-Zionism is not inherently antisemitic—and claiming it is uses Jewish suffering to erase Palestinian experience.”
The fact that this even requires saying is a testament to how thoroughly drenched the (so-called) “west” is in regurgitated pro-Israeli propaganda.
Israel itself is drenched in a culture of racist anti-Palestinian tropes, and denial of the ethnic cleansing called the Nakba.
The crimes of the Third Reich are invoked disingenuously to construct a counterfactual demonization of the Palestinian people.
Meanwhile, Jews in the West are often antagonized in their communities and families if they challenge the prevailing dogma.
There is a soft but tragic irony, that many liberal Jews feel free to approach their religious heritage critically and skeptically, but any who question political doctrine are greeted as heretics.
The Jews are the only people for whom criticizing the government of the country they’re typically associated with is interpreted as racism. If I say the Chinese government is committing crimes against humanity no one thinks I’m a racist. If I say Donald Trump is a moron, no one thinks I hate all Americans. If I say the Israeli government shouldn’t be responding to Hamas’ attack the way they are? Oh man, now I’m an antisemite and hate all Jews!
The fuck is wrong with this world?
It’s public relations spin. If you haven’t noticed, the Israeli government isn’t exactly what one would call ethical. They use every trick in the book to insulate themselves against criticism, up to and including crying antisemitism.
It’s disgusting, really. After WWII, many people did what they could to distance themselves from even the barest hint of antisemitism, and with good reason: the actions of the Nazis were reprehensible. Israel has taken that cultural awareness, unwillingly purchased with the blood of their ancestors, and used it to commit genocide of their own.
The foundational myth of Israel is that Jewishness is a national essence holding a supreme right to control over particular territory, above the rights of those who contest the right.
Conceding the distinction between antisemitism and criticism of Israel is conceding the fallaciousness of the myth on which depends “Israel’s right to exist”.
Protecting the myth depends on disparaging any Jewishness of critics and disparaging the humanness of the occupied population.
Jews must be united in their claim to the lands, and any opposing the claim must be opposed, as an opponent of undivided and untainted Jewishness.
Which is funny since there’s plenty of Jews that are against Israel at the moment or as an artificial construct instead of a miracle from God, believing that it should be peacefully dismantled so that God would be the one to choose when they are to go back from exile, not men.
The fuck is wrong with this world?
Religion.
Ok maybe not all of it, and not all religious people. Kinda like how #metoo wasn’t actually about all men, just the problematic ones. When I say religion is what’s wrong with the world I’m not talking about memaw going to church on Sunday. I’m talking about people fucking people blowing each other up in the furtherance of what they perceive to be some divine goal.
Sure, the type of person to feverishly go to war over some stories would probably be extremely opinionated without religion, but you don’t see anyone going down to the fucking Renaissance faire with a rifle because of the guys dressed as pirates.
Believing things strongly isn’t the problem. It’s the system of organized moral superiority that’s the problem.
I would actually disagree on China, the position that it was possible the WIV was the cause of COVID was successful painted as xenophobic or racist, rather than a viable option.
Which always struck me as odd considering a bunch of your people eating random jungle meat so much they cause worldwide diseases sounds like you could be way more racist about it. Yet, somehow that was painted as the less racist option.
If I say the Chinese government is committing crimes against humanity no one thinks I’m a racist.
I see you haven’t met any tankies
I haven’t read the article, but the title made me go “what the fuck”?
Of course it’s not antisemitism. It would only be antisemitism if you said “those people are bad because they are Jews”.
Or am I wrong?
In Germany the public discourse as lead by political parties and mainstream media , but also cultural organizations is pretty much claiming any criticism of the shape of thr Israeli state, any analysis towards the occupation as a source of violence or current criticism of israeli war crimes as antisemitism.
Because of that jewish protests for palestinian human rights have been banned like arab and leftist protests, jewish protesters have been violently arrested by police, palestinians have been kicked out of book faires, art exhibitions and other events where just before they were supposed to receive prizes. The head of the main government party has loudly cancelled a meeting with Bernie Sanders because he would be too critical of Israel. Sanders is a jew and has lived in Israel in the past.
So in Germany the term antisemitism is instrumentalised to supress any serious criticism of Israel, which includes in particular jewish criticism of Israel.
By the perversion of the term, Germany is acting antisemitic by banning jewish voices from the public, sometimes with police violence and denyingthe existence of plurality in the jewish communities.
Incidently they try to blame arabs and other immigrants for antisemitism in Germany, deflecting from the widespread antisemitism in German mainstream society. Just two month ago the vice-prime-minister of the state of Bavaria was uncovered to be a Holocaust endorsing Neonazi in his youth and instead of it harming his election it helped his election. Also now the Bavarian state attorneys are investigating the people who brought this Neonazi past to light.
The US is cracking down on protests right now based on this pretext
And not just right now. For decades you would lose your job in academia and media for showing too much sympathy for Palestinians.
Always amuses me how there’s endless discourse about Islam being antisemitic and therefore movements associated with muslims are jew-hating pogroms, but the reality is almost all antisemitic attacks across the “Western world” are done by white christians.
It’s purely projection from the columnists and newsreaders who see antisemitism as a tactic to shut down anti-colonial protests.
What do you guys think about Thunberg’s statement? In my country it’s framed as antisemitic and FFF Germany renounced it but I don’t think so
the world needs to speak up and call for an immediate ceasefire, justice and freedom for Palestinians and all civilians affected
We are of course against any type of discrimination, and condemn antisemitism in all forms and shapes. This is non-negotiable