Washington, DC – Palestinian rights advocates are denouncing a congressional decision that equates anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism, calling it a “harmful” measure that goals to curb free speech and distract from the battle in Gaza.
The Republican-controlled Home of Representatives handed the measure on Tuesday in a 311-14 vote, with 92 Democratic members abstaining by voting “current”.
The symbolic decision was framed as an effort to reject the “drastic rise of anti-Semitism in the US and all over the world”.
But it surely contained language saying that the Home “clearly and firmly states that anti-Zionism is antisemitism”. It additionally condemned the slogan “From the River to the Sea”, which rights advocates perceive to be an aspirational name for equality in historic Palestine.
As a substitute, the decision described it as a “rallying cry for the eradication of the State of Israel and the Jewish folks”. It additionally characterised demonstrators who gathered in Washington, DC, final month to demand a ceasefire as “rioters”. They “spewed hateful and vile language amplifying antisemitic themes”, the decision alleges.
Husam Marajda, an organiser with the US Palestinian Neighborhood Community (USPCN), mentioned the decision is an effort to “cancel” Palestinian rights advocates by accusing them of bigotry and labelling their criticism of Israeli insurance policies as hate speech.
“It’s tremendous harmful. It units a very, actually unhealthy precedent. It’s aiming to criminalise our liberation battle and our name for justice and peace and equality,” Marajda informed Al Jazeera.
What’s Zionism?
Zionism is a nationalist ideology that helped set up the state of Israel in 1948. It contends that the Jewish folks have a proper to self-determination in historic Palestine, which Zionists view as their ancestral homeland.
The rise of Zionism within the late 1800s was partly in response to anti-Semitism in Europe.
However many Palestinians reject Zionism as a driver of the settler colonialism that dispossessed them in the course of the founding of Israel. Israel’s institution coincided with the displacement of a whole bunch of hundreds of Palestinians who had been forcibly pushed from their properties in what is understood because the Nakba, the Arabic phrase for “disaster”.
Whereas Palestinians view themselves because the native folks of the land, Zionists say Jewish folks have historic and biblical claims to what’s in the present day Israel.
Some hardline Zionists, together with members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s authorities, argue that the present-day Palestinian territories — the West Financial institution and Gaza — additionally belong to Israel.
At a United Nations Normal Meeting speech in November, Netanyahu held up a map of Israel that confirmed the nation stretching from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, encompassing the West Financial institution, Gaza and Syria’s Golan Heights.
Some Palestinians additionally blame Zionism for Israeli abuses towards them, which quantity to apartheid, based on main human rights teams like Amnesty Worldwide.
Within the US, Palestinian rights supporters have lengthy rejected conflations of Zionism with Judaism, noting that many Jewish Individuals establish as anti-Zionist.
“Opposing the insurance policies of the federal government of Israel and Netanyahu’s extremism is just not antisemitic. Talking up for human rights and a ceasefire to save lots of lives ought to by no means be condemned,” Palestinian American Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib mentioned in a social media submit on Tuesday, explaining her vote towards the decision.
‘Extraordinarily harmful’
Marajda burdened that Palestinians have a proper to oppose Zionism, a place he mentioned has nothing to do with prejudice.
“This decision is saying that for those who’re crucial of this Israeli authorities, basically you hate Jewish folks,” he mentioned. “I didn’t select — the Palestinians didn’t select — their occupiers.”
The decision is considered one of a number of pro-Israel motions permitted by Congress since October 7. Most US legislators have expressed unwavering help for Israel amid its offensive in Gaza, which has killed greater than 16,000 Palestinians.
Yasmine Taeb, the legislative and political director at MPower Change, a Muslim American advocacy group, referred to as the decision “extraordinarily harmful”.
“It unequivocally equates any criticism of the Israeli authorities with anti-Semitism. Primarily it smears thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands of individuals demonstrating globally in help of a lasting ceasefire, together with Jewish-American organisations,” Taeb informed Al Jazeera.
The advocacy group Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) was additionally fast to denounce the congressional measure.
“Falsely stating that anti-Zionism is antisemitism conflates all Jews with the Israeli state and endangers our communities. It fuels lethal violence and censorship campaigns towards Palestinians,” JVP Motion mentioned in a social media submit.
“We’re proud anti-Zionists Jews. We refuse to pit communities towards each other.”
We have to be steadfast & clear in condemning antisemitism. The acute GOP decision on the ground in the present day had no Democratic cosponsors & inappropriately mentioned all anti-Zionism is antisemitism. Muddying the waters about what antisemitism is, is totally improper and unhelpful.
— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) December 5, 2023
All Home Republicans however one — Congressman Thomas Massie — voted in favour of the decision. However Democrats had been cut up on the measure: 13 voted towards it and 95 for it, on high of the 92 who abstained with a “current” vote.
Jerrold Nadler, a key Jewish Home Democrat, had decried the decision on Monday, noting that some Jewish communities oppose Zionism for spiritual causes and shouldn’t be branded as anti-Semitic.
“Whereas most anti-Zionism is certainly anti-Semitic, the authors, in the event that they had been in any respect aware of Jewish historical past and tradition, ought to learn about Jewish anti-Zionism that was, and is, expressly not anti-Semitic,” he mentioned.
Democrats divided
Nadler accused Republicans of utilizing help for Israel to advance “partisan wedging on the expense of the Jewish neighborhood”. Nonetheless, he didn’t vote towards the decision on Tuesday. He opted for “current”.
The vote highlighted the divisions among the many Democrats over Israel’s navy marketing campaign in Gaza. Whereas the social gathering’s progressive wing has pressed for a ceasefire, President Joe Biden and the vast majority of congressional Democrats have averted such calls.
However that would sign a disconnect from the social gathering base. A Reuters/Ipsos ballot in November indicated 62 % of Democratic voters thought-about Israel’s response “extreme”. Two in three survey respondents backed a ceasefire.
I stand towards islamophobia & antisemitism. Nonetheless, a definition the place anti-Zionism = antisemitism units a harmful precedent. I voted NO on this HRes894 as a result of we will not conflate criticism of the Israeli gov & its excessive, xenophobic nationalist insurance policies w antisemitism.
— Congresswoman Delia Ramirez (@repdeliaramirez) December 5, 2023
Republicans, in the meantime, have led motions that critics say are designed to convey the Democratic schism to the fore. Final month, as an example, they moved to censure Congresswoman Tlaib, the one Palestinian within the Home, over her feedback on the Gaza battle.
Conservatives have accused Democrats who vote towards such measures of being anti-Israel, if not anti-Semitic.
That creates a political dilemma for Democratic lawmakers. In the event that they help the payments, they danger upsetting massive segments of their base, but when they oppose them, they open themselves to Republican assaults.
Taeb mentioned the lawmakers who voted “current” didn’t need to go on the report as equating anti-Semitism with anti-Zionism, however on the similar time, they wished to be seen as countering anti-Semitism.
“It’s simply politics,” she informed Al Jazeera.
H.Res 894 exploits Jewish communities’ ache for political factors.
Whereas it rightly denounces antisemitism, it equates all anti-Zionism as antisemitism — denying the huge complexity of Jewish communities — all of whom deserve security.
And that is why I voted current.
— Congresswoman Madeleine Dean (@RepDean) December 5, 2023
Tuesday’s decision was co-sponsored by Congressman Max Miller, who has confronted outrage in latest weeks for saying, “We’re going to show [Palestine] right into a car parking zone.”
Taeb mentioned the truth that lawmakers who’ve promoted anti-Palestinian hate are championing such resolutions exhibits that Tuesday’s measure is just not about combating prejudice.
“The intent of those members is to smear and silence peace activists calling to finish the bloodbath of Palestinian kids and households.”