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Anti-Zionism and Antisemitism: Decoding the Relationship
The relationship between anti-Zionism and antisemitism has been endlessly debated. Below, two experts on the subject offer a framework for thinking about this issue. In an excerpt from his book Antisemitism Today, Kenneth S. Stern examines how the logic of anti-Zionism frequently reflects the prejudices of antisemitism. And in an excerpt from his paper Anti-Zionism and Antisemitism: Cosmopolitian Reflections, David Hirsh lays bare the "Livingstone Formulation."
Kenneth S. Stern
Is anti-Zionism antisemitism? Back in 1947, when the wisdom, viability, and impact of the reestablishment of the Jewish state were reasonable topics for debate, few would have claimed so. But it is today when, for example, no one is clamoring for the undoing of Pakistan or Samoa or Bangladesh or Qatar or scores of other countries that became independent states after the end of World War II - let along for doing so while ignoring how many Pakistanis would be killed in an effort to deny them their self-determination against which they would surely fight.
Or to put it in a different context, imagine a Palestinian state being created in 2010, and then in 2067 some voices assert that a mistake was made and, of all the peoples in the world, only the Palestinians should now give up their state. It would be hard to imagine such a claim not being labeled extreme, bigoted, racist, or insensitive to the bloodshed it would clearly produce. Correspondingly, there is antisemitism in play when it is said that of all the people on the globe (including the Palestinians), only the Jews are not permitted the right to self-determination in a land of their own (let alone in their historic homeland).
There are only two rare exceptions to contemporary anti-Zionism being antisemitism, and they are so because they do not discriminate against the Jew and deny him a right of self-determination. Some ultra-Orthodox Jews believe that Israel should not exist until the Messiah comes. And there are some others who believe there should be no nation-states, or that there should be no nation-states with links to any religion. These are not significant groups, and the latter groupings (anarchists and those who don't like religious-linked states) become problematic if they inordinately harp on Israel rather than, say, Spain or Russia. The disingenuousness of many such anti-Zionists becomes clear when they do not also oppose the creation of a Palestinian state. Imagine someone objecting to the existence of buildings above 10-stories in their hometown, which had many such edifices. Their logical first goal would be to insure that no new buildings over that height would be erected. If instead they ignored (or even supported) plans for new skyscrapers and put all their organizing efforts into the demolition of one particular existing structure (indeed, one full of people who would not willingly depart), people of good will would easily identify the real agenda in play.
Does it make sense, then, to label anti-Zionists antisemites? It depends. While anti-Zionism is clearly a manifestation of antisemitism, the word "Zionism" has been so tarnished in recent decades that people may misunderstand its meaning - that a Zionist is nothing more than a person who supports the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish state, rather than someone with a particular view on Israeli policy. It is not effective organizing to label someone an antisemite when they may be confused about the term "anti-Zionist," and can be educated to understand that opposing anti-Zionism, rather than endorsing it, is the credible position for someone motivated by goals of anti-racism.
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