World Courant
Washington, DC – Palestinian rights advocates are denouncing a Congressional decision that equates anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism, calling it a “harmful” measure geared toward curbing freedom of expression and diverting consideration from the warfare in Gaza.
The Republican-controlled Home of Representatives handed the invoice measuring unit Tuesday by a vote of 311 to 14, with 92 Democratic members abstaining by voting “current.”
The symbolic decision was formulated as an try to reject the “drastic rise of anti-Semitism in the US and all over the world.”
However it included language saying the Home “clearly and firmly states that anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism.” It additionally condemned the slogan “From the River to the Sea,” which is known by human rights activists as an formidable name for equality in historic Palestine.
As an alternative, the decision described it as a “battle cry for the eradication of the State of Israel and the Jewish folks.” It additionally labeled protesters who gathered in Washington DC final month to demand a ceasefire as “rioters.” They “spewed hateful and vile language that bolstered anti-Semitic themes,” the decision claims.
Husam Marajda, organizer of the American Palestinian Group Community (USPCN), mentioned the decision is an try to “cancel” Palestinian rights defenders by accusing them of bigotry and labeling their criticism of Israeli insurance policies as hate speech.
“It is tremendous harmful. It units a really, very dangerous precedent. The purpose is to criminalize our liberation wrestle and our requires justice, peace and equality,” Marajda instructed Al Jazeera.
What’s Zionism?
Zionism is a nationalist ideology that helped set up the State of Israel in 1948. It asserts that the Jewish folks have the correct to self-determination in historic Palestine, which Zionists take into account their ancestral homeland.
The rise of Zionism within the late nineteenth century was partly a response to anti-Semitism in Europe.
However many Palestinians reject Zionism because the driving power behind the settler colonialism that dispossessed them throughout the founding of Israel. The creation of Israel coincided with the displacement of a whole bunch of 1000’s of Palestinians who have been forcibly expelled from their houses in what is called the Nakba, the Arabic phrase for “disaster.”
Whereas Palestinians take into account themselves the indigenous folks of the land, Zionists say the Jewish folks have historic and biblical claims to what’s now Israel.
Some hardline Zionists, together with members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s authorities, declare that the present Palestinian territories – the West Financial institution and Gaza – additionally belong to Israel.
Throughout a speech on the United Nations Basic Meeting in November, Netanyahu held up a map of Israel displaying the nation stretching from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea and together with the West Financial institution, Gaza and Syria’s Golan Heights.
Some Palestinians additionally blame Zionism for Israeli abuses in opposition to them, amounting to apartheid, in keeping with main human rights teams akin to Amnesty Worldwide.
Within the US, supporters of Palestinian rights have lengthy rejected the conflation of Zionism with Judaism, noting that many Jewish People determine as anti-Zionist.
“Opposition to the insurance policies of Israel’s authorities and Netanyahu’s extremism just isn’t anti-Semitic. Standing 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 publish on Tuesday, explaining her vote in opposition to the decision.
‘Extraordinarily harmful’
Marajda emphasised that Palestinians have the correct to oppose Zionism, a place he mentioned has nothing to do with prejudice.
“This decision says that if you’re important of this Israeli authorities, you primarily hate the Jewish folks,” he mentioned. “I didn’t select – the Palestinians didn’t select – their occupiers.”
The decision is one among a number of pro-Israel motions authorised by Congress since October 7. Most US lawmakers have expressed unwavering assist for Israel throughout the offensive in Gaza, which has killed greater than 16,000 Palestinians.
Yasmine Taeb, legislative and political director of MPower Change, an Islamic American advocacy group, known 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 worldwide in assist of a long-lasting ceasefire, together with Jewish American organizations,” Taeb instructed Al Jazeera.
The advocacy group Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) was additionally fast to denounce Congress’ measure.
“Falsely claiming that anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism aligns all Jews with the Israeli state and endangers our communities. It fuels lethal violence and censorship campaigns in opposition to Palestinians,” JVP Motion mentioned in a social media publish.
“We’re proud anti-Zionist Jews. We refuse to pit communities in opposition to one another.”
We should be agency and clear in condemning anti-Semitism. The acute Republican decision on the ground right this moment had no Democratic co-sponsors and wrongly mentioned that every one anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism. Blurring what anti-Semitism is is totally flawed and unhelpful.
— Consultant Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) December 5, 2023
All however one Republican within the Home of Representatives (Congressman Thomas Massie) voted in favor of the decision. However Democrats have been cut up on the measure, with 13 voting in opposition to and 95 in favor, along with the 92 who abstained with a “present” vote.
Jerrold Nadler, a number one Democrat from the Jewish Home, had rejected the decision on Monday, noting that some Jewish communities oppose Zionism for non secular causes and shouldn’t be labeled anti-Semitic.
“Whereas most anti-Zionism is certainly anti-Semitic, if the authors have been in any respect conversant in Jewish historical past and tradition, they need to have been conscious of Jewish anti-Zionism that was and is emphatically not anti-Semitic,” he mentioned.
Democrats divided
Nadler accused Republicans of utilizing assist for Israel to advertise “partisanship on the expense of the Jewish neighborhood.” But he didn’t vote in opposition to the decision on Tuesday. He selected ‘current’.
The vote highlighted the divisions amongst Democrats over Israel’s army marketing campaign in Gaza. Whereas the get together’s progressive wing has pushed for a ceasefire, President Joe Biden and the vast majority of Democrats in Congress have averted such calls.
However that would point out a break with the get together base. a Reuters/Ipsos ballot in November, 62 % of Democratic voters mentioned Israel’s response was “extreme.” Two in three respondents supported a ceasefire.
I’m in opposition to Islamophobia and anti-Semitism. Nonetheless, a definition during which anti-Zionism = anti-Semitism units a harmful precedent. I voted NO on this HRes894 as a result of we can’t reconcile criticism of the Israeli authorities and its excessive, xenophobic nationalist insurance policies with anti-Semitism.
— Congresswoman Delia Ramirez (@repdeliaramirez) December 5, 2023
Republicans, in the meantime, have led motions that critics say are meant to attract consideration to the Democratic schism. For instance, final month they criticized Congresswoman Tlaib, the one Palestinian within the Home of Representatives, for her feedback on the Gaza warfare.
Conservatives have accused Democrats who vote in opposition to such measures of being anti-Israel, if not anti-Semitic.
That creates a political dilemma for Democratic lawmakers. In the event that they assist the payments, they threat disrupting giant components of their base, but when they oppose them, they open themselves as much as Republican assaults.
Taeb mentioned the lawmakers who voted “current” didn’t need to announce that they equated anti-Semitism with anti-Zionism, however on the identical time they wished to be seen as opposing anti-Semitism.
“It is simply politics,” she instructed Al Jazeera.
H.Res 894 exploits the ache of Jewish communities for political factors.
Whereas it rightly denounces anti-Semitism, it equates all anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism – and denies the large complexity of Jewish communities – all of which deserve security.
And that’s the reason 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’ll flip (Palestine) right into a parking zone.”
Taeb mentioned the truth that lawmakers who’ve promoted anti-Palestinian hatred are defending such resolutions reveals that Tuesday’s measure just isn’t about combating prejudice.
“The intent of those members is to smear and silence peace activists who name for an finish to the mass homicide of Palestinian kids and households.”
‘Anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism’, US Home of Representatives claims in ‘harmful’ decision | Israeli-Palestinian Battle Information
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