Opinion | Face The Facts: Anti-Zionism is Masked Antisemitism

We’ve all heard someone say, “I’m not Antisemitic. I’m anti-Zionist.”

This talking point continues to resurface each time Israel is in the news, coming to the forefront of political debate after the October 7th terror attack. The statement tends to be false, a mere attempt to cover up blatant antisemitism.

Anti-Zionists Protest Israel’s Right To Exist

However, when most people try to argue against this statement, they suggest that “the U.S. Congress and many other countries’ official position is that anti-Zionism is antisemitism” or “anti-Zionism often uses antisemitic tropes and leads to violence against Jews, so it’s antisemitic.” While these arguments are well-natured and even true, they do not conclusively prove that anti-Zionism in its purest form is inherently antisemitic.

Antisemitism, in its simplest definition, is “hostility to or prejudice against Jewish people.” 

The 31 member states of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), which includes the United States have a more detailed definition. This definition of antisemitism suggests “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.” This includes “applying a double standard of behavior [to Israel] that is not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation,” a textbook form of discrimination. Racism or discrimination towards any group involves singling them out and applying inconsistent standards toward their behavior.

Zionism is defined as “the movement for the self-determination and statehood for the Jewish people in their ancestral homeland, the land of Israel.” Anti-Zionism is the exact opposite of this. It stands in direct opposition to the Jewish right to statehood and self-determination in their ancestral homeland of Israel. 

Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination is inherently antisemitic because it applies different standards to Jewish people than it does to other groups. For reference, there are no protests against other states that represent specific people, like the numerous Arab countries, or Japan, China, Germany, etc. All of these are connected to a particular racial, religious, or ethnic group, yet none of their inherent rights to self-determination are questioned. 

98.5% of Japan’s population is Japanese, 85.4% of Germany’s population is German, 92% of China’s population is Han Chinese, 89% of Egypt and 97% of Jordan’s Population is Muslim, while only 73.6% of Israel’s population is Jewish. Thus, claiming that a Jewish state should never have been established because it represents a specific people or religion is a double standard, and therefore antisemitic. 

Next, the claim that Israel should be disestablished because it mistreats minorities, is simply not rooted in fact and similarly applies different standards to the Jews than other people. Contrary to the popular anti-Israel narratives, minorities in Israel enjoy equal rights in all areas of life, serving in the Israeli Parliament and Supreme Court. Although it might be difficult to obtain citizenship, Israel’s practices are no stricter than those of other countries. Japan, Germany, the United States, Switzerland, and Austria all employ even more rigorous standards for obtaining citizenship than Israel does, and rightfully so, but they do not receive the same criticism.

The third claim for anti-Zionism, reasons that Israel was not established legitimately, and is thus not a real country. Regardless of who was there first, (though historical evidence shows a major Jewish presence), Israel meets the standards of what makes a legitimate country today. 

According to the 1933 Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States (the standard used by the United Nations to determine statehood), in order to be considered a country, you need “a settled population, a defined territory, government and the ability to enter into relations with other states.” Israel clearly has all of these, garnering recognition from 165 countries as a legitimate country. 

Without getting into too much detail, Israel was established in 1948 after the United Nations outlined a Jewish state on land that was under British mandate. The British conquered the land from the Ottomans during WWI until the United Nations partition plan came into effect. The surrounding Arab nations attacked Israel shortly after, where Israel won its war of independence, solidifying its claim to the land. 

In the 75 years since, Israel has won a multitude of wars, primarily defensive battles, and has been successful in both defending and even expanding its land. This origin story is no different than the majority of other countries that exist today, including the United States, who revolted against the British and continued expanding their land westward in the years after. To claim that Israel is somehow different and doesn’t own the land of Israel is antisemitic because it does not apply a consistent standard. Instead, it’s simply a cover for antisemites who don’t want the Jewish people to have a country.

Often, these individuals utilize misleading talking points to defend anti-Zionism. 

Anti-Zionism is simply a criticism of the Israeli government. This is false. Anti-Zionism claims Israel should not exist at all, which is distinct from criticisms of its government. Criticism of the Israeli government is completely fine as long as other countries are held to the same standards. 

There are Jews who are anti-Zionists, like the Neturei Karta and some Satmar Hasidim. This argument is flawed because there can always be self-hating members of any group. A radical self-hating minority in any racial, ethnic, or religious group holding a fringe opinion does not invalidate the ideology itself.

Zionism is against Palestinian self-determination. The fundamental ideology of Zionism is entirely compatible with a two-state solution. The idea of Jews having the right to their own land and Palestinians having a right to a state are not mutually exclusive. While the topic is hotly debated among Israelis, whether or not a two-state solution is ideal, is a separate issue from Zionism.

By defining Zionism and Antisemitism, we can rebut and expose the double standards that say Israel should not have been established because it is specifically a Jewish state, oppresses minorities or wasn’t founded legitimately. Certainly, it is clear that anti-Zionism can not be distinct from antisemitism. So, the next time someone tries to tell you they are just an “anti-Zionist,” prove them wrong.