Is anti-Zionism different from antisemitism?
- From: "LeNoir IS THE NAME OF MY PET PIG! :\)" <ll1@xxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 2 Sep 2006 05:22:13 -0500
"How easy it should be, for anyone who holds dear this inalienable right of
all mankind, to understand and support the right of the Jewish People to
live in their ancient Land of Israel. All men of good will exult in the
fulfillment of God's promise, that his People should return in joy to
rebuild their plundered land. This is Zionism, nothing more, nothing less.
And what is anti-Zionist? It is the denial to the Jewish people of a
fundamental right that we justly claim for the people of Africa and freely
accord all other nations of the Globe. It is discrimination against Jews, my
friend, because they are Jews. In short, it is anti-Semitism."
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, August 1967
Zionism is the national liberation movement of the Jewish people - an
expression of their legitimate aspiration to self-determination and national
independence. The Zionist movement was founded to provide an ancient people
with a sovereign state of its own in its ancestral homeland. Israel is the
modern political embodiment of this age-old dream.
The goal of anti-Zionism is to undermine the legitimacy of Israel, thereby
denying the Jewish people their place in the community of nations.
Denigration of Zionism is therefore an attack on Israel's basic right to
exist as a nation equal to all other nations, in violation of one of the
fundamental principles of international law.
Just as antisemitism denies Jews their rights as individuals in society,
anti-Zionism attacks the Jewish people as a nation, on the international
level. Similar to the use of "the Jew" as a scapegoat for many a society's
problems, Israel has been singled out for special condemnation in the
international arena.
Moreover, it is no coincidence that the recent censure of Israel in
international forums and the media has been accompanied by a sharp increase
in antisemitic incidents in many parts of the world.
Anti-Zionism is often manifested as attacks on Israel in the United Nations
and other international forums. Over the years, almost every meeting and
every event of the international community has been exploited as an
opportunity to condemn Israel - no matter what the subject matter, no matter
how tenuous the tie to the conflict in the Middle East.
As a nation dedicated to the principles of democracy, Israel believes that
criticism, whether by other nations or our own people, is a powerful force
for positive change. However, there is a clear distinction between
legitimate calls for improvement and the attempt to delegitimize Israel by
consistently singling it out and holding it up to standards not applied to
other states - all this while ignoring the context in which Israel must
strive to survive in the face of violent attacks against its citizens and,
all too often, against its very existence.
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