How to criticize Israel
nachumkaplan.substack.com
A guide for those who want to criticize Israel without being anti-Semitic

Just saw a friend post this and I was wondering if people have resources to counter some of these statements I can send their way.

Some highlights:

Do not claim that Jews are white: Portraying Jews as “white” is done to make them fit more easily fit into the narrative that Zionism is a “white colonialist” project. There are Jews of every skin color. Only 30% of Israelis are Ashkenazi (European) Jews. Almost 45% are indigenous Mizrahi Jews. There are many others, such as Maghrebi Jews and Ethiopian Jews. Almost half of Israeli Jews are ethnically mixed. Jews outside of Israel are diverse, too.

Avoid using the terms Zionist or Zionism to describe the Israeli Government or Jews: These terms have become pejorative and are too broad to be useful. A Zionist is one who believes Jews have a right to a homeland in Israel. That includes Jews of all political persuasions, most Evangelical Christians, and anyone who supports a two-state solution (such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia or China). Israel is a modern nation-state. Its people are simply Israelis, much as people in Australia are simply Australians. Rather than referring to “the Zionists”, refer to “the Israeli Government” or “the Netanyahu Government”.

Do not lie about Jews’ connection to Israel: This is a delegitimization tactic. Jews are the indigenous people of Israel. There have always been Jews in Israel, although they have rarely had sovereignty or been the majority. While some of Israel’s enemies accuse it of being colonialist, many Jews view Israel’s creation as decolonization (it was Jewish insurgents who drove the colonialist British out of Palestine). This historicity of Jews being from Israel does give them a claim to the land, but it does not mean Palestinians have no claim.

Do not call for Israel’s destruction: Racists have weaponized the Palestinian independence struggle, making anti-Zionism the new anti-Semitism. Claiming to be anti-Zionist but not anti-Jewish is like saying you are not anti-Japanese, but just want to destroy Japan. It is anti-Semitic to say that Jews are the only people in the world without the right to a homeland. Calling for Israel’s destruction with rabid chants such as “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” or “By any means necessary” is to call for the death of millions. That is disgusting. Calling for serious solutions is welcome.

  • Evilphd666 [he/him, comrade/them]
    ·
    8 months ago

    And what did Israel do to the Ethiopian Jews? us-foreign-policy

    Big Input

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Solomon

    US government was also involved in the organization of the airlift. The decision of the Ethiopian government to allow all the Falashas to leave the country at once was largely motivated by a letter from President George H. W. Bush, who had some involvement with Operations Joshua and Moses.  Previous to this, Mengistu intended to allow emigration only in exchange for weaponry

    Ethiopian women in Israel 'given contraceptive without consent'

    Jews lived there just fine in peace with the Muslims until the Zionist ethno-fascists hijacked the place. It isn't about "the Jews". It is about Zionism and ethno-fascist theocratic governments. Why do they insist on a theocracy and aparthied. Zionist is not too "broad" and as DaBiden states "you don't need to be Jewish to be a Zionist".

    Zionism - Revionist Zionism - and their Greater Israel project are very defined and it is toxic for Hasbara to deal with because they are forced to confront textbook fascism and genocide - which also are defined. If you want to really twist their nipples you can go into the early formation of the modern state and it's ruling party Likud. That's an even more toxic.

    There was the Balfour Declaration of 1917

    In which Lord Rothschild of the British aristocracy said OK to the Zionists.

    A part that clearly discates as long as there is religous and political equality

    it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.

    You have Einstein letter to the NYT warning the Zionists wanting to colonize Palestine exhibit fascistic terrorist qualities akin to Nazism.

    Snip -

    The discrepancies between the bold claims now being made by Begin and his party, and their record of past performance in Palestine bear the imprint of no ordinary political party. This is the unmistakable stamp of a Fascist party for whom terrorism (against Jews, Arabs, and British alike), and misrepresentation are means, and a “Leader State” is the goal.

    In the light of the foregoing considerations, it is imperative that the truth about Mr. Begin and his movement be made known in this country. It is all the more tragic that the top leadership of American Zionism has refused to campaign against Begin’s efforts, or even to expose to its own constituents the dangers to Israel from support to Begin.

    With the Einstien bit you might get pushback that Einstien was a Zionist too. Enter Labor Zionism which originally wanted a homeland for the Jews, but in cooperation. Einstien still called out the fascists for what they are today and that's the point. Labor Zionists are still colonizers.

    Albert Einstein was a prominent supporter of both Labor Zionism and efforts to encourage Jewish–Arab cooperation. Fred Jerome in his Einstein on Israel and Zionism: His Provocative Ideas About the Middle East argues that Einstein was a Cultural Zionist who supported the idea of a Jewish homeland but opposed the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine "with borders, an army, and a measure of temporal power." Instead, he preferred a bi-national state with "continuously functioning, mixed, administrative, economic, and social organizations."

    However, Ami Isseroff in his article Was Einstein a Zionist argues that Einstein was not opposed to the state of Israel given that Einstein declared it "the fulfillment of our dreams." Perceiving its vulnerability after independence, he again set aside his pacifism in the name of human preservation, when president Harry Truman recognized Israel in May 1948. In the November 1948 presidential election Einstein supported former vice-president Henry A. Wallace’s Progressive Party, which advocated a pro-Soviet foreign policy – but which also at the time (like the USSR) strongly supported the new state of Israel. Wallace went down to defeat, winning no states

    You have the precursor to Likud - the Zionist terrorist movement Irgun

    Irgun emblem. The map shows both Mandatory Palestine and the Emirate of Transjordan, which the Irgun claimed in its entirety for a future Jewish state. The acronym "Etzel" is written above the map, and "raq kach" ("only thus") is written below.

    Then again these are fanatical racist fascists colonizers you're wall-talk

    There's a cute UwU term they call colonizing - Aliyah

    They want it to only be about "The Jews" as cover for their crimes. They are ethno-fascists, colonizers, thiefs. If they want to live in Palestine, then they have to honor the Belfour agreement and integrate with the Palestinians with equal rights for all. Probably why they don't have a constiution either. Remember our OG constiution only reguarded Blacks as 3/5 a person. But if you purge the Palestinians then no worries right?