Some very good advice for progressives who talk about Israel and Palestine. I think one problem is that half of the people who demonise Zionists don’t know what the term means, and the other half do and they truly believe that even wanting a 2SS is evil.
Regardless of your thoughts, you’d hope that people who consider themselves left wing would be able to listen to a minority community and moderate their language if it’s making them feel unsafe.
Bnixsec on
A guy in Austria was raided by the anti terror squad for recording a video of a VIP from the Holy land promoting g crime.
He is Jewish. He is antisemitic. And because of that he will not have a clean police record. We will be like Germany and Austria. They say close you eyes, look away, nod and on and on.
northbk5 on
I wish the author of this article would have addressed the fact that over 400 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and we call that a ceasefire.
night_dude on
>Zionism is a Jewish national movement that sought to create a Jewish state, then to secure and sustain it. But “Zionism” is also a contested label: for many Jews it signifies safety, continuity and belonging; for Palestinians – and for many others – it denotes dispossession and ongoing domination. It’s clear that for different people, the word Zionism means very different things, which leads to people talking past one another – with real-world consequences.
Apartheid is a South African national movement that sought to create an Afrikaner state, then to secure and sustain it. But “Apartheid” is also a contested label: for many Afrikaners it signifies safety, continuity and belonging; for Black South Africans – and for many others – it denotes dispossession and ongoing domination. It’s clear that for different people, the word Apartheid means very different things, which leads to people talking past one another – with real-world consequences.
nus01 on
It would help if people who claimed to be Anti Zionists actually spoke up against atrocities elsewhere in the world.
TimJamesS on
People are using the term Zionism to hate on Jews…this way it saves them the embarrassment of them admitting that they are antisemites.
LordWalderFrey1 on
Zionism does mean different things to different people.
For many Jews it means self-determination and independence, rooted in the significance of the Land of Israel, for other Jews it means nothing, and there is an anti-Zionism current among some Jews, whether rooted in religious reasons or not.
For Palestinians Zionism often means colonialism, displacement and theft. For them it was why they live under occupation or why their grandparents were driven from their homes at gunpoint and why the villages, churches and mosques their ancestors lived and worshipped are gone.
Can we say one point is more or less valid inherently? Perhaps not. Either way Zionism is a political ideology, like communism or conservatism or pan-Arabism. Political ideologies are not protected categories, and can be criticised as part of political speech.
7 Comments
Some very good advice for progressives who talk about Israel and Palestine. I think one problem is that half of the people who demonise Zionists don’t know what the term means, and the other half do and they truly believe that even wanting a 2SS is evil.
Regardless of your thoughts, you’d hope that people who consider themselves left wing would be able to listen to a minority community and moderate their language if it’s making them feel unsafe.
A guy in Austria was raided by the anti terror squad for recording a video of a VIP from the Holy land promoting g crime.
He is Jewish. He is antisemitic. And because of that he will not have a clean police record. We will be like Germany and Austria. They say close you eyes, look away, nod and on and on.
I wish the author of this article would have addressed the fact that over 400 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and we call that a ceasefire.
>Zionism is a Jewish national movement that sought to create a Jewish state, then to secure and sustain it. But “Zionism” is also a contested label: for many Jews it signifies safety, continuity and belonging; for Palestinians – and for many others – it denotes dispossession and ongoing domination. It’s clear that for different people, the word Zionism means very different things, which leads to people talking past one another – with real-world consequences.
Apartheid is a South African national movement that sought to create an Afrikaner state, then to secure and sustain it. But “Apartheid” is also a contested label: for many Afrikaners it signifies safety, continuity and belonging; for Black South Africans – and for many others – it denotes dispossession and ongoing domination. It’s clear that for different people, the word Apartheid means very different things, which leads to people talking past one another – with real-world consequences.
It would help if people who claimed to be Anti Zionists actually spoke up against atrocities elsewhere in the world.
People are using the term Zionism to hate on Jews…this way it saves them the embarrassment of them admitting that they are antisemites.
Zionism does mean different things to different people.
For many Jews it means self-determination and independence, rooted in the significance of the Land of Israel, for other Jews it means nothing, and there is an anti-Zionism current among some Jews, whether rooted in religious reasons or not.
For Palestinians Zionism often means colonialism, displacement and theft. For them it was why they live under occupation or why their grandparents were driven from their homes at gunpoint and why the villages, churches and mosques their ancestors lived and worshipped are gone.
Can we say one point is more or less valid inherently? Perhaps not. Either way Zionism is a political ideology, like communism or conservatism or pan-Arabism. Political ideologies are not protected categories, and can be criticised as part of political speech.