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Hey Irfan, thanks for reaching out. There have been lots of people who have written into this extensively and who I think articulated some of the issues better than I could, but I'll see what I can do. Also always happy to discuss any of this by phone or over a coffee post COVID. https://twitter.com/DamaniIrfan/status/1277267315135074311
Firstly, as we've discussed in the past, I am hugely critical of the Israeli occupation & of Israeli policy in the occupied territories, and especially of Netanyahu and his administrations, which I believe have been abhorrently racist & actively destructive to any peace process.
It's important to stress that the notion of "Zionism" as a blanket rubber stamp for Israeli occupation/oppression is not just done by closet antisemites, but also (quite deliberately) by Netanyahu. Many extreme right wing people back home would dub me "anti-Zionist" - I'm not.
I actually define myself as a Pro-Palestinian Zionist. Yes, I know - many people will consider this a contradiction in terms, but hear me out. I was raised to believe that Zionism is the movement of the Jewish people (yes people, not religion) towards self determination.
For many Jews in the UK and elsewhere, Zionism simply means support for a safe haven for Jews following anti-Jewish violence not just in Europe but in the entire diaspora - culminating in the Holocaust. But Zionism predates the Holocaust.
Zionism exists as a formal movement since the mid 19th Century, and was definitely heavily influenced by the European modern era, but many feel that it reflects Jewish cultural & religious yearnings that have been continuous since the Roman expulsion of Jews from Judea in 70CE.
Many people infer from the word “Zionist” unquestioning support for the Israeli government & all its policies/actions. It can also be read to mean a colonialist movement intended to oppress Palestinians. That might be true for Netanyahu & Messianic settlers. It's not true for me.
I could talk more about Zionism and how the conflict is undeniably shaped by Imperialism, but I'm trying to be as succinct as I can. I've elaborated on Zionism because the term has been poisoned in current rhetoric by both Nationalist Israeli leadership & closet antisemites.
I would hope that there is a world where Jews can call out anti-Zionism as a dog whistle *when relevant* without giving Israel exemption or special treatment. I can't resign myself to either seeing Israel's existence as a colonialist atrocity or erasing Palestinian human rights.
Now with regard to criticism of Israel. Israel deserves criticism. Israeli policy in the occupied territories has been criminal for over 50 years. As a Jew, an Israeli, and a grandchild of refugees from both Europe & Syria, I believe it's my moral obligation to object to it.
This is why I have been active in peace/conflict resolution movements since the age of 15, financially support Amnesty Israel, and vehemently oppose annexation. I have flown to Israel 3 times over the last 12 months to try to vote Netanyahu out of office, clearly unsuccessfully.
Initiatives such as the one led by @lisanandy against Israeli annexation are crucial. It's equally crucial not to sabotage them by giving the far-right the cannon fodder it needs to delegitimise them by falling into/reinforcing antisemitism. So how do we do this? Here's my take:
1. Avoid antisemitic tropes. These include but are not limited to Blood Libel, the conspiracy of "insidious Jewish money/lobby", Dual Loyalty (the concept that Jews are working from within to destroy a society), Holocaust denial or the weaponisation of the Holocaust against Jews.
2. Are you singling out Israel for behaviour that you do not condemn from other countries? If so, I would challenge you to ask yourself why. We all have causes that we fight for, and the liberation of Palestinians is an intensely worthy one. I know we can't fight for every cause.
I also don't for a second want you to think that I don't agree that Israel's crimes are despicable and need to be addressed. But I would ask you to investigate your sources and their perspectives. Israel often gets demonised as a global superpower, which it isn't.
Every demonisation of "the other" is unique & abhorrent in its own way. These biases are deeply rooted in our psyche & get reinforced by the news we consume. For some people it reinforces racism, for some Islamophobia, and for some - antisemitism. We all need to check ourselves.
3. Don't reinforce the mistaken notion that Israelis are all a bunch of white supremacists. Israel absolutely has a very serious race problem and the treatment of Palestinians in Israel reeks of anti-Palestinian racism, but painting all Israelis as white oppressors is reductive.
Doing so both erases and lets off the hook Israelis of colour in equal measure. It also gives the impression (maybe inadvertently & maybe purposefully) that Israelis/Palestinians all look one way, when I as a Middle Eastern man get racially profiled in Israel quite regularly.
4. Criticise a specific crime or policy rather than Israel's very right to exist. The discussion regarding the borders of Israel and Palestine is complicated and long - but both peoples have the right for self-determination. I personally support the 1967 borders, as does the UN.
5. Don't assume Israel is secretly behind/solely responsible for events that take place in other societies, such as the erroneous claim that Israel is somehow solely responsible for American police brutality, for instance.
Those are my tips, but they only reflect my perspective.
Those are my tips, but they only reflect my perspective.
If you have read this far, thank you. I know it was long. If you're interested in reading more, I'll now link to some material I think might be helpful. Firstly, I strongly recommend following @nadinebh_. I also recommend reading the following tweets and articles on Medium:
