What I say that antisemitism is a systemic risk for the Palestine solidarity movement, this is *not* because of Palestinians or the nature of Palestinian struggle. I cannot emphasise this enough. Palestinians are not more antisemitic than other people (historically, the opposite)
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And the Palestinian struggle is, at the heart of it, anti-colonial struggle for liberation and against dispossession.
No: the systemic risk originates *outside Palestine*, particularly in Western context where the reservoir of antisemitic ideas and metaphors is woven deep into the culture.
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Zionism is the national movement of Jewish people, the state of Israel defines itself a Jewish state, and Israel enjoys considerable support among diaspora Jewish communities worldwide.
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You put these things together, and it is all but inevitable that some antisemites would be drawn to oppose Israel and, for that reason, support Palestinians - as we can see here
4/ jewishcurrents.org/the-rights-a...
and it is all but inevitable that some people would fall back onto antisemitic explanations or ways of thinking when talking about Palestine/Israel. Antisemitism provides multiple ready-made, powerful narratives, that can appear compelling as explanations.
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And of course, making sense of all this is difficult when vocal supporters of Israel repeatedly insist that standing up to Palestinian rights is antisemitic by definition. Which is profoundly wrong in so many ways.
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And one more thing. Like other people who survived genocide, Jews suffer from inter-generational trauma, which can mean oversensitivity and being quick to interpret things as threats. Some of it is cultivated, some of it is personal. It's inevitable and understandable either way.
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That does not justify causing harm to others, and facilitating that harm through advocacy. Being a victim of genocide does not give one license to persecute and destroy others in the name of safety. But it does make it difficult for many to see what is in front of their eyes.
Great article, thanks for sharing. Mirrors developments in the UK: Nick Griffin reinventing himself as an Anti-Zionist, Mark Collet of Patriotic Alternative, recently granted an interview on 5 Pillars.
