Anti-Zionism
Anti-Zionism
Anti-Zionism is opposition to Zionism. Anti-Zionists believe that the creation of the State of Israel as a Jewish state was wrong. Some anti-Zionists call for the "destruction" of Israel, by which they mean the murder or deportation of its population. Other anti-Zionists find that idea abhorrent, and argue that, although the initial creation of Israel was wrong, its present population should be allowed to remain there unmolested--although some of these anti-Zionists would support the abolition of the present State of Israel, and its replacement with a new state, not bearing the name of "Israel", that would be equally a "Jewish state" and an "Arab state" (the one state solution).
Supporters of the State of Israel hold that in the vast majority of cases ideological anti-Zionists are also anti-Semites, combining the two concepts in a way that cancels the distinction between them. They hold that while it is legitimate to criticize the state of Israel because of its particular acts or policies, the conceptual denial of the right of Jews for a state is indicative of considering Jews inferior - which is exactly anti-Semitism. In addition, they define the failure to distinguish between Israel the state, and Israelis and Jews as individuals as anti-Semitic demonization and hatred.
Most Jews feel that there is a distinction between anti-Zionism (which Zionists typically hold to be based on anti-Semitism in most instances) and a specific criticism of the Israeli government or of a facet of Israeli society. The latter by all reasonable definitions of the term cannot be considered anti-Semitic. For instance, one can oppose the occupation of the West Bank without being an anti-Zionist. Thus, although anti-Zionism often is the same as anti-Semitism, a specific criticism of Israel is not anti-Semitism.
Zionists do not claim that anti-Zionism in and of itself is antisemitic, since at one time the majority of Jews were anti-Zionist -- but those who view anti-Zionism as inevitably antisemitic believe that in today's situation it is inherently so, even if theory or in different historical circumstances it might not be.
To understand why this issue is so complicated, one must consider how Zionists define "Zionism", and the public perception of this word. The perception is often far from the definition. Zionism is the belief that Jewish people have a right to a nation state of their own.
Many people outside the state of Israel are Zionist, as being a Zionist only means that one supports the right of Jews to have a state; it does not necessarily mean that one must emigrate to that state (aliyah) in order to live there.
Some anti-Zionists have argued that Zionism is a form of racism. Some have meant by this that Zionism is the actual belief that Jews are superior--this is likely the view of many Arab anti-Zionists. Zionists argue that the vast majority of Jewish people believe no such thing, and that to claim that Jews believe themselves to be superior to others is an anti-Semitic attack.
Others anti-Zionists do not believe that Zionism is a form of racism (in the sense of the belief that one racial group is superior to another), but believe rather that any attempt to bring into existence a Jewish state must (given the realities of the world) involve discrimination against non-Jews and in favour of Jews. Some also argue that the notion of a Jewish state must inevitably exclude to some extent non-Jews, even if they are not actively discriminated against, and that it is wrong to create a state on territory occupied by a people (Palestinian Arabs), that is defined to exclude those people.
This issue is made more confusing by differing uses of the terms "racism" and "racial discrimination". Formally, racism is the belief that one race is superior to another; but many people use it as a synonym for racial discrimination. Furthermore, many people use "racial discrimination" broadly, to include discrimination on the basis of both ethnicity and race. Many Zionists have interpreted anti-Zionists who call Zionism racist or racially discriminatory as believing that Jews are a distinct race from non-Jews -- some may do so (particularly those inspired by racial anti-semitism) -- but others may merely be using sloppy terminology, and are really talking about ethnicity.
Zionist leaders in the past and present have written that one's racial group had no relevance at all in the issue. They claim that has been carried out in practice, as the State of Israel has allowed millions of people of all races and skin colors to become Israeli citizens including Hispanics, Vietnamese, Yemenites, Druze, Bedouins, black Africans, etc. Opponents of Zionism argue that although Israel allows people of many different races to become Israeli citizens, it still nonetheless discriminates against non-Jews (in immigration and nationality laws, and access to government benefits), and that by defining itself as a "Jewish" state, it inevitably excludes other non-Jews, even if only on a psychological level.
Zionists argue that anti-Zionism is inevitably antisemitic, since to deny the right of Jews to a state of their own, yet grant that right to others, is to discriminate against Jews. Anti-Zionist argue that not all ethnic groups are entitled to their own state (and that since there are thousands of ethnic groups in the world, giving them all their own states would be impossible), and that so long as deny Jews the right to a state is based on objective criteria (such as the existence of the Palestinian Arab people on that land for many centuries), it is not antisemitic. Some anti-Zionists go further and deny the right of all ethnic groups to their own state, believing that states should be defined on a ethnically neutral basis.
Many anti-Zionists are undoubtedly antisemitic, in the classical sense of the term; but many others are not, and find antisemitism abhorrent.
Anti-Zionism has been used to promote anti-Semitism include events in Poland, Czechoslovakia, and the former Soviet Union.
Some Anti-Semitism existed in Poland in 1956 when Gomulka rose to power, but only at minor levels. His government was opposed to anti-Semitism. During this time period many Jewish Poles were repatriated from the U.S.S.R., and many of them immigrated to the State of Israel or other nations. However, in line with the official policy of the Soviet Union, after the Six Day War in 1967 the government of Poland turned against its Jewish citizens. Gomulka publicly warned Jews against becoming a "fifth column" against Poland, and merely expressing sympathy for Israel was stated as reason to believe that someone was a traitor. Thus, most Jews instantly became suspected of treason if they had expressed any support for Israel. Immediately following this was an explosion of anti-Semitic books and articles filled with anti-Zionism, all carrying traditional anti-Semitic overtones. Immediately following this was a nation-wide anti-Jewish purge, removing Jews from their jobs in the government, universities, and many other fields. This purge was directed by the minister of the interior, and head of the security police, MieczysGaw Moczar.
Some Anti-Semitism existed in Czechoslovakia in the 1950s, but not much. Tolerance towards Jews in this nation was traditional. The situation began to change when strong differences emerged between the liberal regime in Prague and the more conservative Soviet Union. By August 1968 the Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia to destroy the liberal regime, and the Soviet's instituted an anti-Zionist campaign against the nation's Jews. Soviet propaganda claimed that Zionist attempted a "counter-revolution", which the Soviet Union had to save the nation from. Immediately following this invasion Jews were purged from many government and university positions.