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US House to Vote on Declaring 'Anti-Zionism Is Antisemitism'
"The fact that Congress has to pass a resolution saying that anti-Zionism and antisemitism are the same thing means that people's efforts to end the conflation of the two are getting somewhere," argued one critic.
Dec 04, 2023
The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote this week—possibly as soon as Monday evening—on a resolution declaring that "anti-Zionism is antisemitism," a measure that Jewish peace campaigners called "deeply antisemitic."
House Resolution 894—introduced by a pair of Jewish Republicans, Reps. David Kustoff (Tenn.) and Max Miller (Ohio)—embraces the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's (IHRA) controversial working definition of antisemitism, which, while not explicitly mentioning anti-Zionism, includes "denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination" and "claiming that the existence of a state of Israel is a racist endeavor."
Kustoff said in a statement last Tuesday, when the measure was introduced, that "since October 7, we have seen an alarming rise in antisemitic incidents, attacks, harassment, and discrimination both in the United States and across the globe."
"Such hate has no place in our national discourse, and it is imperative leaders voice their strong opposition to these horrifying acts of violence and discrimination," he added.
"This is a cynical effort to conflate criticism of the government of Israel with antisemitism."
Many Jewish American critics, however, bristled at the conflation of hatred of Jews with opposition to Israel, a settler-colonial apartheid state with codified Jewish primacy illegally occupying and oppressing Palestine while waging what many call a genocidal war on Gaza.
"This is a cynical effort to conflate criticism of the government of Israel with antisemitism," Leah Greenberg, co-executive director of the progressive political action group Indivisible, said on social media. "It's not about protecting Jews. It's about shutting down dissent. And in doing so it makes all of us less safe."
The new resolution—which details numerous recent instances of antisemitism while completely ignoring concurrently rising and sometimes violent Islamophobia sweeping the United States—resolves that the House:
- Strongly condemns and denounces all instances of antisemitism occurring in the United States and globally;
- Reaffirms and reiterates its strong support for the Jewish community at home and abroad;
- Calls on elected officials and world leaders to condemn and fight all forms of domestic and global antisemitism;
- Clearly and firmly states that anti-Zionism is antisemitism; and
- Rejects all forms of terror, hate, discrimination, and harassment of members of the Jewish community.
Referencing the trope that anti-Zionists are antisemites and Jewish people who oppose Israel are "self-hating," the Bay Area chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace
asked on social media, "So what, we're all self-hating Jews?"
The IHRA definition of antisemitism has been rejected by the scholars and other experts—many of them Jewish—behind the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism, which states that while anti-Israel sentiment "could be an expression of an antisemitic animus," it could also be "a reaction to a human rights violation, or it could be the emotion that a Palestinian person feels on account of their experience at the hands of the [Israeli] state."
The modern state of Israel was established largely by ethnically cleansing over 750,000 Arabs from Palestine 75 years ago. In the decades since, Israel illegally occupied the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza, whose 2.3 million people endure periodic wars that have claimed nearly 20,000 lives—most of them in the past two months—while living and dying in what human rights defenders call the "world's largest open-air prison."
The House resolution comes as Israel intensifies its retaliatory war on Gaza, where officials say that more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed, maimed, or left missing by Israeli attacks.
Jewish Americans—from progressive left-wing activists to the Orthodox Torah Judaism movement—have been at the forefront of opposition to both Israel's war and U.S. support for it.
"Zionism is the greatest source of real antisemitism today," Jewish American filmmaker Dan Cohen
said in a Monday social media post condemning "Israel's genocide of Palestinians."
"The Israel lobby and the elected representatives it controls are responsible," he added.
Dr. Eric Reinhart, a Harvard scholar,
asserted that "not only is anti-Zionism not antisemitism, but a strong argument can be made that Zionism is in fact antisemitic."
"It is used to license Zionist violence against Jews who refuse to back it," he added, including "the Israeli government's recent attacks on their own anti-Zionist Jewish citizens."
Richard Beck, a senior writer at n+1, called the resolution "very dark."
"But," he added, "the fact that Congress has to pass a resolution saying that anti-Zionism and antisemitism are the same thing means that people's efforts to end the conflation of the two are getting somewhere."
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What Genocide Denial Looks Like
The denial of the Palestinian genocide is being aided by institutionalized suppression of speech and activism and through the creation of a climate of fear around expressing dissent.
Nov 15, 2023
As Israel continues to massacre Palestinians, we are seeing a concerted attempt by the United States and its allies to not only downplay the horror but to also re-affirm and justify it as an act of self-defense.
Denialism happens to be one of the crucial stages of genocide, as outlined by Gregory H. Stanton, founding president and chairman of Genocide Watch. It plays out by denying that a genocide has occurred or is occurring. We can see examples of this denialism coming from everyone from the highest office of the government to medical journals and medical lobbying groups. President Joe Biden has disputed the Palestinian death toll. U.S. State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel also rejected that what Israel is doing constitutes genocide. Recently, the Journal of the American Medical Association published an article entitled, “Health Professionals and the War in the Middle East.” The article refers to Hamas’ “genocidal aims and actions” and urges health workers to speak out against them, while glossing over the indiscriminate killing of Palestinians by the Israeli forces. Ironically, the author, Dr. Matthew Wynia, runs an institute that studies the legacy of health professionals in the Nazi regime. Even while hospitals in Gaza are being bombed, the American Medical Association declined to consider a resolution calling for a cease-fire.
The denial of the Palestinian genocide is being aided by institutionalized suppression of speech and activism and through the creation of a climate of fear around expressing dissent. The recent doxxing and disciplining of students and workers for expressing solidarity with the Palestinians is a perfect example of this institutionalized suppression. Following the countrywide student walkouts to protest Israel’s actions, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution condemning these students and falsely labeling them as being pro-Hamas and antisemitic. In the wake of recent pro-Palestine student activism, Brandeis University derecognized their Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter. A few days following the derecognition, police violently suppressed demonstrators who had gathered on campus to protest Israel’s bombing of Gaza. Columbia University also suspended their chapters of SJP and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), thereby cutting off their University funding and barring them from holding events on campus.
If we are to entertain the notion that anti-Zionism is the same as antisemitism, what, then, is the correct way to call for an end to Israel’s war crimes?
On November 7, 2023, the House voted to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), the only Palestinian-American member of Congress, for her pro-Palestinian stance. Among the grievances against her was her defense of a popular Palestinian liberation slogan, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” as an aspirational call to freedom. Tlaib had earlier made a statement that the existing apartheid system in Israel will lead to resistance from the Palestinians. The resolution to censure her claimed that her use of the word “resistance” against apartheid was condoning violent acts by Hamas. Twenty-two of her Democratic party colleagues joined the Republicans to censure her. The resolution went on to twist her criticisms of the Israeli and U.S. governments as being anti-Jewish.
On the other hand, Republicans such as Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) (to name a few), who have made blatantly racist remarks about Palestinians, have faced no discipline. The censure of Tlaib is one of many examples that shows Israel has bipartisan support among Democratic and Republican party leaders because supporting Israel’s war crimes helps the United States maintain and strengthen its imperial presence in the Middle East. These leaders, however, are ignoring the fact that 66% of American voters want a cease-fire.
Tlaib is just one of countless people who have been targeted for being pro-Palestine and labeled as antisemitic. In just the first two weeks of October 2023, Palestine Legal (a civil rights group) has received hundreds of complaints of suppression. Another civil rights group, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), has received well over a thousand complaints of Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias.
If we are to entertain the notion that anti-Zionism is the same as antisemitism, what, then, is the correct way to call for an end to Israel’s war crimes? When one of the most sophisticated military forces in the world commits war crimes, after forcibly displacing and interning the Palestinian people for decades, is it wrong to speak up because there is also rampant antisemitism in the world?
These masses exploited by their working and living conditions and burdened by debt are finding more common ground with the people in Palestine than with the politicians and heads of institutions.
This world is no stranger to antisemitism. From even pre-Holocaust Europe to the present day, there are countless incidents of hate against the Jewish people and we should always stand up against this. Groups such as the Anti Defamation League (ADL), however, are equating any criticism of what Israel is doing with antisemitism. It is hard to see this as anything but disingenuous and a disservice to the memory of the people who lost their lives due to antisemitism.
When a spurious charge of hatred is made, the accused is left at the mercy of the heads of their educational institutions or workplaces who do not necessarily have the moral clarity, courage, or social awareness to opine on these matters and are often also afraid of being viewed as condoning antisemitism.
Dismissing the fact that a genocide is occurring and then suppressing speech sympathetic to Palestinians has a gaslighting effect on a public that is already enraged. A false charge of antisemitism is intended to distract, deter, and punish people for speaking out against the genocide of Palestinians. But it is these deterrence tactics—to stifle and suppress support for Palestine—that are proving to be ineffective on the masses who are hyper connected globally with the help of social media. These masses exploited by their working and living conditions and burdened by debt are finding more common ground with the people in Palestine than with the politicians and heads of institutions.
Many of us at this moment feel compelled to act and not look away. There are daily direct actions happening across the country and the world. Palestinian rights activists along with Jewish peace activist groups are urgently calling for a cease-fire and justice for Palestinians. On November 4, 2023, we saw the largest protest for Palestine in Washington D.C., attended by over 300,000 people. Recently hundreds of protesters tried to block a military ship in Tacoma, Washington, that was believed to be transporting military supplies to Israel. Even congressional staffers staged a walkout accusing their “bosses on Capitol Hill [of] not listening” and demanding a cease-fire. On November 9, 2023, protesters occupied the headquarters of The New York Times, reading the names of killed Palestinians and calling out the paper’s biased coverage of Palestine.
People who are showing up to protests are together in this collective grief and anger towards “world leaders” for allowing this nightmare to continue. This dangerous ruling class precedent of targeting the masses for speaking out against grave injustices has the potential to backfire due to growing frustration toward them. We saw this not too long ago during the George Floyd uprising when people came out into the streets to protest police killing of one Black man during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic and were themselves exposed to police violence.
One of the most heartbreaking aspects of what is happening to the Palestinians is that many of them who are making videos to show us what is being done to them are doing so in English, which is not their first language. They are doing this for us, while they are being killed, so that they can convince people in the West of their humanity.
We should continue to be vigilant and hold accountable imperialist leaders and their spokespersons when they tell us that what we are witnessing isn’t happening and that our words mean something other than what they do. Rather than censoring speech or punishing people who amplify Palestinians voices, it is our moral obligation to join them and call for an end to this genocide.
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The Majority of Americans Want a Cease-Fire in Gaza; Elected Officials Should Listen
The U.S. must stop funding this assault, which will only lead to the loss of more Palestinian and Israeli lives—and exacerbate the rising Islamophobia and antisemitism that have no place in our society.
Nov 09, 2023
Two years ago, filmmaker Mohannad Abu Rizk asked children in Gaza about their dreams. One young girl responded, “My dream is for us to stay alive and to live in peace. We have a right to stay alive.”
She’s one of the 2.2 million Palestinians living in the densely populated Gaza Strip under a 56-year Israeli occupation—and a 16-year blockade that deprives them of food, water, electricity, and freedom of movement. International rights groups now classify it as an apartheid system.
She’s also one of the Palestinians Israeli officials called “human animals” and “children of darkness” as bombs fell on Gaza. It’s unclear if this girl with the big, soulful brown eyes is still alive, but about half of the over 10,000 Gazans killed by the Israeli military are children.
Despite efforts to smear and silence them, people are standing up for basic human dignity.
All human lives are precious. The murder of over a thousand Israelis by Hamas on October 7 was a heinous crime. Israeli families deserve justice and the safe return of their loved ones held hostage. But indiscriminately bombing and collectively punishing Palestinian civilians—who are neither synonymous with Hamas nor responsible for their crimes—accomplishes neither.
For most Americans, that’s not a controversial opinion. In a recent survey, 66% of Americans supported an immediate cease-fire as a step toward peace and justice for both Palestinians and Israelis.
Unfortunately, our elected officials aren’t listening—yet.
Instead of backing a cease-fire, President Joe Biden requested $14.3 billion in military assistance to Israel above the $3.8 billion taxpayers already send each year. And when a few House Democrats, including Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), called for a cease-fire in October, the White House press secretary didn’t hold back: “We believe they’re repugnant and we believe they’re disgraceful.”
The GOP rhetoric has been even more repulsive. Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.) compared “innocent Palestinians” to “innocent Nazis” while Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) called for Gaza to be “eviscerated” and “turned into a parking lot.” Instead of working for peace, House Republicans have focused their energies on a bad faith censure of Tlaib, the only Palestinian American in Congress.
This dehumanizing and dangerous rhetoric fuels hate crimes that have escalated against Arab and Muslim Americans since October 7—including the murder of 6-year-old Palestinian American Wadea Al-Fayoume and the attempted murder of his mother in Illinois. Recently, a Muslim student at Stanford was hospitalized after being struck by a car in a suspected hate crime.
The war’s reverberations can also be felt in the chilling climate of fear and repression that painfully reminds Arab Americans and Muslims like myself of the days following the 9/11 attacks. College students have faced doxxing and harassment for signing statements supporting Palestinians or criticizing the Israeli government. Others have lost job offers.
But despite efforts to smear and silence them, people are standing up for basic human dignity. Tens of thousands of Americans marched in Washington, D.C. on November 4 to support a cease-fire. The movement for a cease-fire continues to grow around the country.
Veteran State Department official Josh Paul resigned in protest on October 17, calling the U.S. rush to supply Israel with more arms “shortsighted, destructive, unjust, and contradictory to the very values that we publicly espouse.” And over 400 congressional staffers signed a statement demanding a cease-fire in Gaza.
Gaza is facing a humanitarian catastrophe. There is no food, water, or safety. Many experts have warned that a likely genocide is underway. The U.S. must stop funding this assault, which will only lead to the loss of more Palestinian and Israeli lives—and exacerbate the rising Islamophobia and antisemitism that have no place in our society.
Our elected officials must listen to the majority of American people who are demanding peace so that Palestinians can live freely, instead of dreaming about it.
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