By Nejoud Al-Yagout
It is no secret that every time someone criticizes the government of the Zionist entity, they are accused of anti-semitism. When Arabs are called anti-semitic, it is even more bizarre, because Arabs are Semitic! In this article, to prove that supporting Palestine is not anti-semitic, we will explore some of the most vocal anti-Zionist voices in the world today and quote their st0ances. All of them are Jews.
Many followers of Judaism who criticize the Zionist state are referred to as self-hating Jews. But a true Jew believes in justice and equality, so these insults are nonsensical in the face of what is truly arising in Palestine today. And the only self-hating Jews are the ones who have disdain for their religion yet use it to galvanize people to kill and hate or resurrect apocalyptic sentiments to justify aggression.
Another unfortunate tactic is mentioning the holocaust any time the Zionist entity is criticized. Obviously in the face of this tactic, many prefer to remain silent, out of guilt for supporting Nazis during the WWII era; or, for the rest of us, sheer horror even at the recollection that something so horrific and brutal was allowed to happen in the first place. But many critics of the Zionist entity today are descendants of holocaust victims! And what is shocking is that both the descendants of Nazis and previous anti-Nazis are now supporting Zionists.
Mentioning the holocaust is yet another way to divert attention from the crimes that are being inflicted on Palestinians and turning away from what is happening today as more and more Palestinians fall victim to a rabid propaganda machine that knows how to garner "moral” support while immorally slaughtering humans. But let’s not digress further.
Let’s begin with Noam Chomsky, one of the most famous Jewish anti-Zionists. As per an article in Democracy Now, this was Chomsky’s response when asked if the Zionist state was guilty of apartheid: "To call it apartheid is a gift to [the Zionist entity], at least if by ‘apartheid’ you mean South African-style apartheid. What’s happening in the Occupied Territories is much worse. There’s a crucial difference.
The South African Nationalists needed the black population. That was their workforce ... The [Zionist] relationship to the Palestinians in the Occupied Territories is totally different. They just don’t want them. They want them out, or at least in prison.” Chomsky has defended the Palestinian cause, not because he is a self-hating Jew, but because he is a political expert and recognizes criminal activity and stands up against it regardless of whether the people who are perpetrating the crimes against humanity share his faith or not.
And let’s not forget Norman Finkelstein, a Jewish political scientist and activist. His analysis on whether what is happening in Gaza is a genocide or not, as per TRT world, is as follows: "[The Zionist entity] has announced that it will not allow any food, water, fuel into the occupied territory. Use your own rational faculty: if for a protracted period of time, maybe running into months – similar to the last major [Zionist] assault on Gaza, Operation Protective Edge that lasted 51 days in 2014 – you withhold those essentials to life from a population, what do you have? Genocide. It’s no secret, [the Zionist entity] is broadcasting its plans. It’s not as if we have to tease them out. No, they’ve said it very clearly and that they want to decimate Gaza.”
There is also Dr Gabor Mate, who was a former Zionist, and who is now one of the greatest Jewish vocal supporters of Palestinians. In an article published by the Middle East Monitor, Dr Mate argues "how [the Zionist entity] was founded on massacres and the expulsion of Palestinians from their lands. Speaking to British broadcaster Piers Morgan, Mate explained that he had realized the reality of the [Zionist] occupation during his visit to the occupied Palestinian territories, adding that he cried bitterly every day for two weeks after returning from his trip as a result of what he witnessed.” This is from a man who once supported the Zionist entity. He is proof that our minds can change when we do enough research. He is also proof that we are called to stand up even to those who share our heritage. Otherwise, justice is biased.
There are many voices supporting Palestinians today, even voices who were once Zionists. For the first time, Palestinians are not only being sustained by Arabs. The world is waking up to the atrocities of living under a brutal occupation. Even those of us who did not want to take sides and once rooted for everyone have left the bubble of hippiedom and are now focusing on one side, the only side that needs our full-fledged attention, before any notion of peace can become a reality, both in our minds or in the world.
Only by standing up to injustice can the world know stability. Supporting Palestinians does not mean one is anti-semitic, and it should not mean that one wants destruction for the other side or that one supports violence in any form or resistance which results in the harm of others or loss of lives. All lives are honorable and deserve security. What supporting Palestine does mean is that we ask for a permanent ceasefire and an end to this occupation. It means one is for the rights and the dignity of all and one stands for non-violence and true peace on this planet we share together.
And we cannot have dignity when our fellow brothers and sisters live in open-air camps, and are in constant fear of waking up under rubble or to family members who have perished, all while they are deprived of water and food and aid and the right to safety in schools, refugee camps, and hospitals. We cannot have dignity when Palestinians in the West Bank have their homes invaded by settlers while backed and protected by a forceful military.
One day, hopefully sooner rather than later, the world is going to change its mind and stance and say: "Stop!” One day, the world will see Palestinian children as worthy of saving as their own children. And only then will the region, and much of the world, by default, know peace. For now, it is essential we continue to read and research and even change our minds when we have to, regardless of our previous inclinations and sentiments, so we evolve from ideologies that promote aggression. We can continue to wish peace for all people, while ensuring that victims are where we direct our attention toward, so that aggressors know that they no longer have the support of the majority.
There are many resources available to learn more about what is happening to Palestinians. There is a poignant documentary titled "Where Olive Trees Weep” which shows life under the Zionist occupation. And there are many groups who expose the atrocities of the Zionist entity such as Breaking the Silence (former soldiers of the Zionist armed forces), and the Jewish Voice for Peace which reminds people: "In the lineage of our Jewish tradition, we call upon all people of conscience to stand in solidarity with Palestine, continue the fight for Palestinian rights, and demand an end to the theft of Palestinian land.”
Many non-Arabs and non-Palestinians are finally speaking out, something unimaginable previously. The world is recognizing what is happening for the first time in eons. We have to come together and create a world that benefits everyone, not just a few. Nobody is more entitled than another person. Nobody’s religion, power status, citizenship or wealth should justify aggression or impunity. We have to come together.
The time has come to recognize that Palestine is a nation, a nation that has the right to govern itself, and to raise a generation who no longer fall victim to being indiscriminate targets of the wrath of Zionist soldiers. It is not anti-semitism to support Palestine. It is anti-humanity not to.
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