A Palestinian born in Haifa in 1943 who was five years old in 1948 when we unilaterally declared Israel out of half of Palestine.
His family fled across the border to Lebanon to keep safe when war broke out.
He is not allowed to return to the city he was born, where his family had a home, where his ancestors go back hundreds of years.
He is not allowed to be a citizen of Haifa.
But a Jew born anywhere in the world can be a citizen of Haifa.
The Jews talk about their homeland. He would like to return to his homeland.
The US, UK, and France took half of Palestine and gave it to the Zionist via UN Resolution in 1947.
The Palestinians are paying for the guilt the West felt for the Holocaust.
44
The birth of Israel in 1948 wasn’t just the culmination of a Zionist movement that began decades before. It was an existential necessity for a people who had nearly been annihilated by the greatest evil in the history of humankind. To distinguish between anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism is to ignore this history. It is certainly possible to oppose the policies and actions of the Israeli government, as many Jews like myself often do, without being anti-Semitic. But if you oppose Israel’s very right to exist as a Jewish state and safe haven for history’s most oppressed people, then you are an anti-Semite.
45
Oh please!Two wrongs, or three or four wrongs, do nit make a right.
8
“When you find yourself on the same side as Hassan Nasrallah, Louis Farrakhan and David Duke on the question of a country’s right to exist, it’s time to re-examine every opinion you hold.”
Hey Bret when you find yourself reduced to using sophomoric ad-hominem arguments to support Israel’s “right to exist”, it’s time to re-think your cause.
The “right to exist” means the Zionist movement, which began about 120 years ago, had the right to take all of Palestine for the Jews and dispossess the non-Jews who had lived there for centuries. There was and is no such right.
Please note. Whoever else happens to share my opinion, makes no difference to its cogency or lack thereof.
29
Back when it was impossible not to find Israel and Palestine on the front page I was working in Viet Nam and had some time off and decided to go to Israel as a tourist and met up with volunteers from various groups such as Rabbi's for Peace, Gush Shalom, and Jews Against The Occupation. I stayed in Occupied Bethlahem with a Palestinian Christian family and then in Balata Refugee camp with a Muslim famiy who will live and die as refugees. I eventually moved there for two years. The UN schools were closed, and when they finally opened two nine year old boys who were neighbors of ours were shot in the head and killed for throwing stones at a tank on the first and only day they were open. I have friends on both sides of the wall and when I could no longer take the all night shelling, the dogs barking outside the window, the soldiers laughing as they had young men strip nearly naked and the constant sound of drones overhead I could escape back to Jerusalem or even Tel Aviv which was luxiours right down to running water meanwhile my Palestian friends could not even leave their doorsetp or go to their roof for fresh air. I visited hospitals inside Israel that prospered, I met fine doctors and other medical staff and could briefly forget the tragedy only miles behind me where it was a miracle to get even a pregnant woman through the checkpoints inside the city. There are enough people taking sides and if I believed in labels then maybe I am Anti Zionist.
21
Violating Israel's territorial sovereignty by digging tunnels is indeed deplorable, and Hezbollah is a malevolent organization.
However, this incident pales when compared to the number of times Israel has bombed, infiltrated, occupied, commando-raided, and colonized its neighbors.
19
A looming menace does not justify any and all actions against any and all people who don't support you. It does not justify the colonization of the west bank, nor does it justify keeping the Gaza strip as a walled ghetto of destitute arabs. (And yes I am fully aware of the history of the word ghetto.)
The Israeli people face serious threats. But the Israeli government is corrupt and inhumane when it comes to dealing with those threats. The Jews of Israel deserve security within a nation where their rights, persons, and yes the ability to practice their religion is protected and not threatened.
I also make the same case for the Palestinian Arabs, as do many Jewish Israelis. Does Bret Stephens?
21
I find the comments & arguments from both sides futile & unlikely to change anyone's mind
The long & short of it is that about 100 years ago World War I ended & the Victors carved up the Ottoman Empire, In doing so promises were made to various peoples that could not be honored because, eg, the same land was promised to more than 1 group. Additionally legal land sales had been made under Ottoman Law that locals didn't want to recognize
All know tensions came to a head after World War II when in 1948 the UN attempted to impose a 2 state solution. The 5 contiguous Arab nations, with the aid of others, attacked Israel promising to drive the Jews into the Sea. Israel won. Wars have consequences. Many non-Jews left Israel & the Jewish populations of the Arab States was for the most part expelled & dispossessed; similar to what occurred to ethnic Germans in Poland
The big difference is that Israel took in the Jews from the Arab world & integrated them into Israeli society; the non-Jews who fled from Israel were kept in camps & "promised" a "right of return" someday. In other words there was a population exchange that often occurs after a war except for one side that population was not accepted into the neighboring lands but maintained to be used as a "pawn" in negotiations; and the suffering of those in the camps is used as justification for terror committed against Israel
I don't see how being descended from one who in 1948 fought or fled gives a claim to the moral high ground
40
I'm bewildered(but not surprised) by all of the comments that attempt to justify the actions of Arab countries such as Lebanon and Syria on Israel. They seem to subscribe to the whole train of thought that blames the Israeli's, the "settlements" the audacity of Jews returning to their ancient homeland. If Israel was only more conciliatory, more loving, more understanding.......
What is it you don't get about hate people? What is it you don't get about the single-minded determination of the likes of Hezbollah, supported by Iran, to destroy Israel and eliminate the Jews? It has nothing to do with the "settlements", the West Bank or any other excuse you'd like to propose. It's pure and simple antisemitism.
When people sit there in the comfort of their living rooms in Brooklyn, Bethesda or LA, trying to tell Israel what they should be doing, it blows my mind. Israel is a country about the size of New Jersey, surrounded by those who wish to kill them and have demonstrated this many times in the past. There is no safe place in Israel. It is very tiny and the borders of hostile countries are right there. Seriously, don't pontificate about what you don't understand.
Thank you Bret for an excellent essay.
38
The "ancestral home of the Jews?" I'm surprised he didn't say "biblical home", never mentioning the 1400 years the Palestinians lived there in peace. In retrospect, Israel, as the Jewish homeland was a poor choice of places, as would any where in the Middle East. If the Jewish Stated could have been placed elsewhere, like in Africa or Patagonia, etc. as was initially contemplated, there probably would have been a whole lot less contention and conflict. But since it was established where it is and has been issued Statehood, I'm willing to continue to support its existence, but only in its original borders. That's as far as my Zionism goes. My Zionism does not extend to the occupied territories. So according to Stephens I'm an anti-Zionist and therefore an anti-Semite, whether I know it or not. Yes, there are anti-Zionists that are "homicidal" anti-Semites who wish to destroy Israel and kill Jews. However, I and many others don't support those sentiments and should not be put in that category. And, without doubt, there are Israelis that wish to see Palestinians dead and gone. and take what's left of the West Bank. As usual, Stephens never mentions the occupation. land grab, expulsion, humiliation and lack of human rights of the Palestinians over the past 50+ years.
He contends that there's no use for Israelis "succumbing to the Palestinians with better behavior" because they'll still hate Israelis just as much. How self serving and short sighted he is.
24
Thank you very, very much to the author and to The New York Times for this important, articulate and moving piece that transcends, or should transcend, liberal-conservative affiliations.
The whole of Israel is roughly the size of New Jersey with a big scoop out of its belly. Consider what it would be like to live in NJ while nearly everyone in New York State, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and beyond until, let's say, the Mississippi River and down to Florida and up through VT and NH wanted, or at least didn't actively oppose, the destruction of your state and the annihilation of most New Jersey residents ("from the river to the sea" or, in this case, to the Atlantic Ocean). Now consider that those same people have tunneled under your house in Teaneck or Orange or Newark or Camden, and are planning to send in a SEAL team through those tunnels to kidnap and kill your children or bomb the local supermarket or commuter train station during rush hour, or rush to meet in the middle to attack your state capital.
26
Which branch of Hezbollah committed the 1974 Ma'alot massacre? or the 1978 incident Stephens refers to? It must be the one that travels in time (there was no Hezbollah then). You don't have to like Hezbollah or dislike Zionism to feel your intelligence insulted by this kind of thing. Two more questions for the non-hysterical: Why was Hezbollah founded? How did Nasrallah become its leader?
8
So is Bret Stephens saying that Michelle Goldberg is an anti-Semite for her recent excellent coloumn that anti-Zionism is not the same as anti-Zionism?
Yes, many anti-Zionists are indeed anti-Semites. But as Goldberg correctly points out, one can be anti-Israel or anti-Zionist without being an anti-Semite. Admittedly, it can be a blurry line and there can be a slippery slope problem. The valid criticism of Israel and even Zionism needs to carefully kept away from anti-Semitism.
One can most certainly be critical to the increasingly undemocratic and Jewish ethno-nationalist Netanyahu’s Israel without being an anti-Semite. In fact, the criticism/resistance to Netanyahu’s Israel is urgently needed. Just like one can be critical of the increasingly undemocratic and white ethno-nationalist Trump’s America without being un-American. In fact, the criticism of/resistance to Trump’s America is urgently needed.
Stephens does not want the Islamic Republic of Iran to exist. That does not automatically make him an Islamaphobe or anti all Iranians or anti-Persian. Some who oppose Iran are indeed Islamaphobes and anti-Iranian. Same blurry line/slippery slope.
Israel is a remarkable country by many measures. Israel/Zionism can be criticized just like its okay to criticize any country, religion, ideology, national movement. Israel/Zionism don’t get an exemption behind the false charge of anti-Semitism. Israel and Zionism should also not be singled out for criticism - that is anti-Semitic.
14
The Israelis are not the soft, left-wing academics of the US who profess anti-zionism while denying their anti-semitism. The Israelis are the survivors of generations of persecution and attempted genocide. They are tough and ready to fight for their country. They are not going anywhere.
15
The question is usually posed: Why shouldn't Jews have their own country, just as everybody else in the world does?
But that's not quite what is actually involved. The relevant question is: Why shouldn't Jews get their own country by taking over somebody else's country?
9
Nasrallah was once asked what he would do if the Palestinians agreed to a two-state solution. His answer? "Nothing. I am Lebanese, not Palestinian."
Now that your friends have declared they will never give up an inch of East Jerusalem, and 95% of the settlements are off limits, and Gaza will never be united with the rest of the Palestinian community, is it not Israel that has made Nasrallah's commitment to do "nothing" impossible to be fulfilled?
2
"In 1974, three Palestinian terrorists crossed the border from Lebanon and took 115 hostages at an elementary school in the town of Ma’alot. They murdered 25 of them, including 22 children." In 2012, Adam Lanza, a reclusive 20 year old who lived with his mother killed 28 people including himself; 20 of them were sixth graders, in Sandy Hook, Ct. In 2018 a lone shooter in Las Vegas killed 59 and wounded 851. In 2016 a lone gunman killed 49 young people in an Orlando country music club. Trump asserts that 12 murders are committed a day by illegal aliens, and we need a wall to stop them. In fact, the GAO has determined that since 1955 there have been 1.2 murders a day by illegal aliens. So, that's less than 500 per year; that means the other 17,000 (more or less) murdered each year are murdered by our own. We don't need a wall with Mexico, we need a wall inside our own country, one that separates mass murderers from easy and continuous access to high capacity firearms, magazines and dum dum bullets. We already build a lot of such walls inside our country, they are called laws. We need laws that prevent criminals, gangsters, psychos and haters from easily and conveniently obtaining high capacity firearms, magazines and ammunition, and keeps them from maintaining continuous possession of such firearms, magazines, and ammunition.
3
For once i agree with most of what Stephens says here. A few things i dont.
Its not true that ALL antiZionists are calling for the abolition of the State of Israel, and, by Stephans implication, the mass murder of its Jews. There are now few Israeli Jews who are antiZionists, and , call them naive if you want, but i am pretty sure they are not in favor of murdering themselves and their families.
The other thing is the degree to which its honest to refer to Israel as the historic homeland of the Jews. Of indigenous Indian Jews from Peru, (now settled on the West Bank and talking about "our land") descendents of an Ashkenasi Jew and and Indian woman? Of the Bombay Jews? Of Iraqi Jews whose ancestors left during the Babylonian exile?
Well, that's not even the point; if Israel is the ancestral homeland of my Zayde from Bialystock, then surely its the ancestral homeland of the Palestinians of the 700 villages and 45 towns and 3 cities who were expelled or fled in 1948, and they should have the same right of return that I, whose ancestors, if they ever lived there, haven't for a couple of milennia?
Really, let's not strain logic. Do I or my neighbor Goldshtyn from Moscow magically have some greater moral right than they do? Not saying its an easy political solution, but if you want to be moralistic, then be consistent.
7
Thank you, Bret Stephens, for telling it like it is.
Israel is here to stay. It has no illusions about the existential threats it faces on a daily basis from, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Iranians, etc. It will never give in and never allow itself to be wiped from the face of the earth. Its enemies only understand force, and so that is what they have been shown, are being shown, and will be shown -- indefinitely if necessary.
As long as the Palestinians keep insisting on the preposterous "right of return" (translation: the Palestinians are entitled to get back 100% of the land within Israel's borders) and keep on supporting their corrupt, feckless, irresponsible leadership, they will never know peace, and their lives will continue to devolve.
Israel finally reached a crossroads, and decided that it had to be a Jewish State, which necessarily means that it could not be a fully democratic state. Had the Palestinians and their supporters not threatened Israel's existence for the past 70 years, but instead lived in peace, Israel might have been able to be both a Jewish state and a fully democratic state.
I could not loathe Trump more if I tried, but on one point we agree: Israel must have the unwavering support of the United States. With such support, coupled with Israel's absolute determination to fight back whenever it is attacked, a modicum of stability is achieved in the region. Not ideal, certainly, but the alternatives are far, far worse.
13
Wouldn't it be refreshing if for once Bret Stephens stood up for the State of Israel! ...... No, I mean REALLY !!
Wouldn't it be refreshing if Mr. Stephens lobbied for the long term survival of Israel rather than the short term survival of the current extremist government of Israel. He could help protect Israel's future by denouncing Israel's past and present immoral behaviour, its violations of human rights, and its violations of international law.
It's tiresome to read so-called pro-Israel pundits defending the indefensible.
7
i'm not going to compete with these thoughtful responses - so well articulated.
one point though: when you conflate issues, talk about cultural/ethnic/religious utopia if only everyone would get along, in a palestine that encompasses area from jordan to the Mediterranean sea what are you saying? the conflict is inherent.
you deny sovereignty to both palestinians and israelis, relegate jews to a potential minority with no self rule or participation at best (don't forget, Israel is the only democracy in that area, democracy is a concept alien to muslim countries for the most part and most certainly for those in the middle east).
This approach also disassociates from the hamas charter, hezbollah's plans, muslim countries' hatred of both jews and the concept of a jewish state.
so while i am quite aware of Israel's history and current policies, and i would like very much to live my values (diversity, peace, at least tolerance, mutual safety and respect), please help me out with the ingredients - on both sides - that exist to implement that vision.
were the issue so important why aren't the arab multi billionaire countries helping out? if they are adamantly consistently and proudly anti jews and anti zionistic (i.e., no jews no jewish state no israel no how), if leadership leads both sides astray so that threat, fear reign - how does one create a bridge?
2
Libs- let’s do the tough thing and admit Bret is 100% correct on this one. What’s right is right and this is clear as day.
14
I thought this was an astonishingly clearsighted article. It's disheartening to see that none of it has gotten through to most of the commentators, who display the exact sort of thinking the writer describes. "Reed" versus reality. Thank you, author, for speaking the truth, at last. Sad to see such obtuseness, or is it disingenuousness, in so many.
13
It would be nice to read occasionally what Bret Stephens thinks of life on the West Bank.
4
Just as not being anti-Semitic doesn't make me Semitic, not being anti-Zionist does not make me a Zionist. At times your thought processes here, Brett, seem tilted toward the simplistic. Another example: are the "wicked" Hezbollah etc, and Israel the "good"? That's the direction you seem headed toward. OK, I'll agree Hezbollah is wicked, but--sorry--I can't see Israel as unqualifiedly good. Look, I agree with much of what you say, but you strike me as too close to your subject to provide a totally objective appraisal.
4
Here is some actual data:
If Israel annexes the West Bank, the Arabs will have a majority by 2025.
In 1922 the population of
Palestine was 78% Muslim, 11% Jewish. and 10% Christian.
http://mondoweiss.net/2014/02/population-israelpalestine- projected/
Hamas On Israel 2007 - 2018
“There is no concession to Jerusalem, no alternative to Palestine, and no solution but to return. This is the Palestinian people taking the initiative for the sake of Jerusalem and the right of return”
— Ismail Haniyeh, Chairman of Hamas Political Bureau, 2018
“Palestine is a land that was seized by a racist, anti-human,
and colonial Zionist project that was founded on a false promise.” (http://hamas.ps/en/post/678/a-document-of-general-principles-and-policies)
— Revised Hamas Charter, 2017
“Over is the time Hamas spent discussing recognizing Israel. Now Hamas will discuss when we will wipe out Israel”
— Yahya Sinwar, Hamas Political Leader in Gaza, 2017
“Removing the Jews from the land they occupied in 1948 is an immutable principle because it appears in the Book of Allah”
— Mahmoud al-Zahar, Hamas Co-Founder, 2016
The Jewish state would be wiped away through “resistance,” or military action. “The state will come from resistance, not negotiation,” he said. “Liberation first, then statehood…. We will free Jerusalem inch by inch, stone by stone. Israel has no right to be in Jerusalem”
— Khaled Meshal, Hamas Political Leader, 2012
10
"The good news is that the conversation about anti-Zionism remains mostly academic..."
The 'bad news' is that - outside Stephens' Ideologyville - the "conversation" is, in reality, not "mostly academic."
On the one hand, a vocal Israeli minority rejects Stephen's 'either-you-are-with-us-or-against-us view, insisting on Palestinian rights and humanity
On the other hand, U.S. public opinion - the underlying, unacknowledged trigger for Stephens' 'with-us-or-against-us' hysteria - is shifting to acknowledge Palestinian rights too...
...and withdrawal of unconditional U.S. support for Israel could weaken Palestinian extremism and increase support for Palestinian rights...
...uh...horrors.
https://lobelog.com/turning-a-corner-in-public-opinion-toward-israeli-occupation/
5
The anti-Semitic homicidal head of Hezbollah had it exactly right: In 1948, the existential threat to Jews increased exponentially.
The claim often made by anti-Zionists is that anti-Zionism & anti-Semitism are independent constructs.
This may be true philosophically, but anti-Zionism in theory is not anti-Zionism in practice. Anti-Zionism has become a convenient cover for modern-day anti-Semitism.
Anti-Semitism is pervasive. It can be insidious.
The distributive, stealth nature of anti-Semitism vs the concentrated, manifest nature of the Jewish homeland is a recipe for holocaustic efficiency.
Almost 1/2 the world's Jews are in this tiny sliver of land surrounded by mortal enemies. They are 1 nuke away from annihilation.
Israel, therefore, deserves—demands—special dispensation
I am dumbstruck by American anti-Zionist Jews most of all bc of the failure of their survival instinct to kick in, no doubt the result of 2 or 3 generations of corrosive catechization by our radical-Left temples, which include this paper.
"Ideology," Lionel Trilling once wrote, "is not the product of thought; it is the habit or the ritual of showing respect for certain formulas to which, for various reasons having to do with emotional safety, we have very strong ties and of whose meaning and consequences in actuality we have no clear understanding"
The Iran nuke deal is anti-Zionist by definition & anti-Semitic in deed. American leftist Jews—cosseted in their safe spaces—cannot see the danger.
9
Isn't fascism something to be against? It could be the New York Review of Books folks, and many others in fact, are bright enough to see through Zionist propaganda (like the rubbish written by Stephens here) and see Zionism for what it is (despite some early noble aspirations): militaristic racist/ethnophobic oligarchic nationalism (at its best).
16
@otto mondo
You just described the Arab Conquest of the Levant. Bravo. However, the Arab Conquest ended 500 years ago, and it’s not coming back. Yet you’d think the Arab World would be satisfied with the 5 Million square miles of territory now under their control in the Middle East..but no...they want Israel’s minuscule 8000 square miles, too.
It would appear that the Arab World and their supporters cannot tolerate the presence of Jewish rule, not even in the ancestral homeland of the Jews. There’s a name for that.....
16
There is no apartheid in Israel. There is no concentration camp in Gaza. There is no genocide in Palestine. Anyone who claims the contrary is promoting antisemitism. As I said on another recent thread, anti-Zionism is not necessarily antisemitism, but it is bigotry.
Now it's true Arabs are treated differently in the occupied territories compared to Israel "proper", but that's because they are a hostile, belligerent population who won't stop trying to murder innocent Jews. Genocidal Arab aggression against Israel predates settlements and occupation by decades.
Occupation is a legitimate tactic taken against violent, Jew-hating fascists who launch illegitimate wars of aggression and then lose. Guess who else has been occupied for decades? Germans. What do Palestinian apologists think would happen if Nazis continued fighting their Allied occupiers after they were defeated in 1945? Do Palestinian apologists think Nazis had a right to fight these Allied occupiers? Palestinians have as much right to "resist" their occupiers as defeated Nazis.
Arabs are only in Palestine (along with the rest of the Middle East) because of their ancestors' own invasions, occupation, conquest, and colonialism. Why do they get a free pass on these actions and it's only the Jews who get singled out?
The answer is clear. There is no other reasonable explanation for such perverse hypocrisy.
25
This is an excellently argued piece. It is impossible to have a discussion with critics of Israel who blame the evil behavior of Hamas or Hezbollah on vague notions of "oppression." However, I don't think everyone who is "anti-zionist" is anti-Israel's existence--some use the term to mean they oppose occupation and settlements. That's where productive dialog can occur.
10
Warfare and alternative forms of organized group against group violence is a crazy, yet common human behavior.
One of the things that is used as an excuse for killing others is ownership of land.
Humans are smart enough to find ways to share the earth with each other.
Sadly, we just choose not to.
2
Mr. Stevens makes the irrational argument that since SOME critics of the State of Israel want it eliminated, then they ALL do. Most regular people who are opposed to Israel's policies hold no opinion as to what should become of it. They just want Israel to stop some of its policies. Also, I strongly believe that Israel can survive a moderation of its inhumane practices.
15
As a young man growing up in my Brooklyn Jewish cocoon during the 50's and 60's surrounded by all of my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, anti-semitism and Israel were far from my mind. In fact I remember not liking Israel very much. I was a pretty conventional liberal.
Now as a 71 year old man, having successfully worked my way through Corporate America and having lived in SE Asia, France and Italy and traveled and worked extensively through Europe, Africa, Australia and Asia I know what anti-semitism is. It never goes away, never stops. I finally understand where Israel and Zionism fit in.
16
@MNS
Unfortunately, we took the land from the Palestinians to create Israel, to pay for the sins of others who were anti-Jew and the Holocaust.
Also, we want to make Israel a Jewish state even with Arabs living there whose roots that go back way longer than the Jews who moved there over the years.
How would we like it if Mike Pence and the evangelicals made the US a evangelical Christian state?
4
I don't know how anyone could defend barbarians who want to kill others because of beliefs. It's unfathomable. I don't care who they are or what excuses they have, but there are no "good people on both sides" of this issue.
3
did you forget the two "trailblazing " Muslim
American" congresswomen who both think
that Israel is an aggressor and an occupier?
the democratic party had better be very
careful that it does not become overly
identified with views like this.keep in mind
that there is a street,if I am not mistaken,
named after Mr.Trump in Israel.I am not
Jewish,but the state of Israel is our only
real ally in the middle east,one which does
not betray us,and that is very important,
not even considering the morality of the
existence of such a crucial friend.
13
@Frank
In Israel, there is a lovely playground named after President Trump in Kiryat Yam. Many in Israel appreciate him for his support and recognition of what Israel is up against.
2
Ignore those exclaiming 'Hamas this", "Rockets that". They are merely exploiting handy excuses and justifications. No peace in the middle-East can be found because none is being sought. In 2014 Israel's most respected newspaper wrote the following front-page editorial entitled "Israel does not want peace" explaining why. It begins thus: "Rejectionism is embedded in Israel's most primal beliefs. There, at the deepest level, lies the concept that this land is destined for the Jews alone. Israel does not want peace. There is nothing I have ever written that I would be happier to be proved wrong about. But the evidence is piling up. In fact, it can be said that Israel has never wanted peace – a just peace, that is, one based on a just compromise for both sides.'
...and ends like this:
"The single most overwhelming item of evidence of Israel’s rejection of peace is, of course, the settlements project. From the dawn of its existence, there has never been a more reliable or more precise litmus test for Israel’s true intentions than this particular enterprise. In plain words: The builders of settlements want to consolidate the occupation, and those who want to consolidate the occupation do not want peace. That’s the whole story in a nutshell."
Indeed.
10
I support Israel as a symbol of Jews’ resiliency and survival, but I oppose the belligerent ethno-nationalism of its current government.
I make a distinction between the government and its people, a majority of whom oppose their government's extreme policies.
That’s a distinction that eludes most anti-Zionists. It therefore leaves them open to accusations of wholesale Jew hatred, or anti-semitism—which accusations are often justified, in my mind.
Would these same critics attack America for the belligerent white nationalism of its current president, all the while waving a flag of anti-Americanism?
7
@Ron Cohen
What to we tell the Palestinians whose roots go back a lot longer than the Zionists who arrived there when we want to make Israel a Jewish state?
What would we say to Mike Pence and evangelicals who want to make the US an evangelical Christian state?
1
@Ron Cohen
The answer is a resounding "yes," if the white nationalists succeeded in amending the Constitution to make America a "white state, homeland for the white people," and then the U.S. government sets up a Gaza-like enclosure for millions of non-whites. And shoots 4000 with live ammo when they protest their confinement.
And what is the evidence that a majority of Israelis oppose Bibi's "extreme policies?" I think many, surely the Haredim, think he has not killed nearly enough Arabs.
6
Thank you for this lucid article. It's getting crazy here in liberal New England.
We must stand strong and work with allies.
18
I have a problem with the several nations who formally call themselves "Islamic Republics" because they appear to reduce non-Muslim citizens to second-class status. Does this make me anti-Muslim?
I read letters-to-the-editor which claim the U.S.A. is a Christian nation; when I respond with revulsion at this notion, am I being anti-Christian?
When I first read Leon Uris in the early 1960s, I supported what then was a Zionist model for Israel. Now I cannot imagine a successful future for Israel. Does this make me an anti-Semite?
14
Being critical of Israel is totally reasonable, but what I believe Mr. Stephens is getting at is what is so problematic with anti-Zionism. You don’t have to be anti-Zionist to criticize what the Israeli government does, but if you are anti-Zionist it means that you don’t believe the current State of Israel has no right to exist. I don’t see how that can be anything but anti-Semitic as well.
5
@a href=
Fortunately, the Israelis can imagine a successful future...because when you have survived centuries of exile, persecution, dhimmitude, genocide, war, and terrorism aimed to destroy your people...and not only to have survived, but to once again thrive upon your forbears’ indigenous ground....then the notion of ‘success’ isn’t an intellectual exercise, but a miraculous reality. What you can or cannot imagine is irrelevant.
3
@a href=
Khaled Abu Toameh, the Arab journalist who reports for the Jerusalem Post, U.S. News & World Report and NBC News, talking about life for Arab Israelis: "Israel is a wonderful place to live ... a free and open country.”
Arab women in Israel live longer than Arab women in any Arab country.
Arab babies in Israel have lower infant mortality than Arab babies in any Arab country.
Hadassah University Medical Center in Israel established a registry for Arab donors of bone marrow and stem cells to facilitate life-saving transplants. The registry at Hadassah Hospital is the only one in the world for Arabs and will no doubt save the lives not only of Arab Israelis but also of some citizens of Arab countries, not a single one of which has a registry of its own.
6
Peace with the Palestinians will be accelerated if the US appoints a Palestinian American as US ambassador to Israel.
Not all Jews are Israeli and not all Israelis are Jews. Hiding behind Jewish history is a skill AIPAC has perfected.
A Palestinian American US ambassador to Israel would counterbalance the cozy well financed machine politics in place today.
14
@Baddy Khan Can you imagine if we sent a Jewish ambassador to an Arab country? In some countries, they would not even be allowed entry, As I recall, numerous Arab countries until recently did not allow anyone to enter if they even had an Israeli passport stamp. When I went to a business meeting in Saudi in 2002, I was told I had to list my religion as "Christian" on the visa application approved.
4
@Baddy Khan
Now THIS is a GREAT idea !! It's time that Americans thumbed their noses at Adelson.
3
Here's the problem: Israel -- the world's one and only Jewish-majority nation -- has to exist, or we Jews will have nowhere in the world that's safe to live. If its Muslim voters become a majority within Israel, they can and I believe they will expel the Jews. That means that there has to be a limit to the Jewish democratic experiment ... which means Israel can never be a true democracy. But it certainly can stop building "settlements" and discriminating against Muslims within its borders. By the same token, Muslim nations and movements can stop sending rockets and digging tunnels into Israel in an effort to eliminate Jews.
18
@BrooklynDodgersFan
"Nowhere that's safe?" I'm pretty sure Newburgh, and the United States of America, as long as our Constitution stands, has been and will continue to be "safe" for Jews, Muslims, atheists and Hindus, precisely because this is not, and never can be "a Christian state, homeland for the Christians."
12
@Marek Edelman
Ah yes, ye olde american exceptionalism. Except that anyone who's been paying attention knows that American isn't exceptional anymore. There is absolutely no reason to think it is so, so special that bad things can never happen here.
3
Stephens writes: "Does this make someone with Hill’s views an anti-Semite? It’s like asking whether a person who believes in separate-but-equal must necessarily be a racist." without even a hint or irony considering that Israelis (aka Zionists) think Palestinians should be UNequal AND separate!
Stephens pretends that Zionism has no victims and that those victims shouldn't identify their oppressors as Jews when those oppressors keep putting their so-called Jewishness is everyone's face. Stephens' article is the perfect example. Israel is the one that calls itself the "Jewish State" then why shouldn't its enemies claim that Jews are the enemy if that is how they keep identifying themselves?
What Stephens fails to grasp is that NOT ALL JEWS ARE ZIONISTS! In fact, many of us are entirely against it as it is not a foreign nationalist philosophy created in the 19th century having nothing to do with Judaism or being Jewish. It is a philosophy that has spawned countless wars and millions of victims in the Middle East and beyond. Being against it is not the same as being against Jews (just as being against apartheid didn't mean that you hated white South Africans).
15
I am a Jew and a committed Zionist. I frankly don’t know a single Jew in America who is not also a committed supporter of Israel as a haven and homeland for Jews. A Jew who is not a Zionist betrays his tradition, religion, and faith.
7
@Adam
Jews had been persecuted for centuries in majority-gentile countries. Even when not actively persecuting the Jews, the majority-gentile countries refused to give refuge to the Jews when they needed it. There would have been no Holocaust if majority-gentile countries would have allowed in Jewish refugees who were escaping from the Nazis. The idea of Zionism was that Jews would return to their homeland & have a majority-Jewish country because majority-gentile countries had failed to provide safety for the Jews.
6
"One state and one state only has got to go" writes Bret Stephens of those who oppose racial domination by a minority in an apartheid state, whose agents and sympathizers have an appallingly great influence on my country, the United States of America, which influence is contrary to my nation's interest. Note also that this racist state has nuclear weapons. Hatred of Jews by arabs and muslim is disgusting. No reason to disagree. Contempt for the Palestinian people and their national aspirations is treated as acceptable, by many of those who wring their hands at the disgusting bigotry that inflames the pathetic losers who bow toward Mecca. But we do not bankroll these barbarians. We bankroll the Israeli government. That is shameful. Conservatives regularly profess to endorse the moral emotions, as checks against our native tendencies to evil. The Brits needed to get out of India. The Boers needed to give up control of South Africa. It is no bigotry to say so, and it shows clearly that the "one state only" claim is a boldfaced lie.
9
For heavens sake, why bleed for all those poor Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. They freely chose to be governed by Hamas and Hezbollah, two groups listed by our State Department as terrorist organizations. And in fact terrorism has become their principal weapon. That puts them squarely in the same group of terrorist nations as North Korea, Iran, Russia and Venezuela. We consider these countries as our enemies and similarly we should view West Bank and Gaza as dangerous enemies of the US.
.
6
@whim
Major Gen George Keegan, Jr., former head of USAF Intelligence, said, "Between 1974 and 1990, Israel received $18.3 billion in US military grants. During the same period Israel provided the US with $50 - 80 billion in intelligence, research and development, and Soviet weapons systems captured and transferred to the US."
3
Stephen’s argument here isn’t defending the Israeli government, rather that anti-Zionists don’t believe Israeli should exist.
4
It’s astonishing. No other country in the world is scrutinized, censured, condemned, and denounced as is Israel...every day!...and not only by the the Muslim World and their Left-leaning cheerleaders, but by individuals who’ve never set foot in Israel, who have no understanding of the facts on the ground, who know next to nothing about Israel’s history (both ancient and recent), who deny the Jewish people their right to self determination upon their own indigenous ground, and who rely on mendacious, ahistorical narratives and propaganda to form the basis of their endless opinions.
Let’s call it what it is: Antisemitism.
27
@Shenoa
Did you forget that, in the 1940’s, the Jews agreed to a vastly diminished territory in exchange for peace...and that despite that concession, not to mention Arabs having been granted ALL the territory east of the Jordan river, the Arabs rejected any compromise of partition in favor of waging a war of annihilation to destroy Israel....a war that is ongoing today?
5
The label "anti-Zionism" has become an analogue to "anti-American" to describe all those who take issue with right wing ideology. In other words, if you don't buy the total fundamentalist package, you're an enemy. That is simply not reflective of the reality of how situations develop and are perceived. There are nuances. People can have internal conflict about what they believe. Conditions change. Information accumulates. But we live in an age of encompassing labeling - by both the right and left. But is isn't fair or helpful, but facile, alienating and stifling of discourse.
7
Although Israel was founded 70 years ago many Jews of Israel still seem lost and wandering in a diaspora. Is the diaspora more of a mental or psychological construct? An endless wandering, never finding completion and fulfillment. Is that the Israeli's destiny? Or will they find a way to give up and share the land and make peace with the indigenous peoples of Palestine/Israel? Will they ever be able to utter the words, "yes, all peoples in Palestine/Israel have a right to self-determination?"
2
@tony
UN Resolution 181 (Partition) gave Palestinians the right of self-determination.
The West Bank Palestinians used that right to ask for union with Jordan. In other words, they weren't interested in having their own state.
Israel agreed to that resolution. In other words, Israel agreed that Palestinians have the right of self-determination. It's the Palestinians who weren't interested.
9
Anti-Zionism, as the writer points out, is usually a mask for hatred of Jews.
Whatever harms Israel harms Jews and that is its intent.
Israel needs no defence.
Few other lands in a similar situation would perform as well and as humanely in dealing with existential threats both within and without.
Israel is now 70 years old.
During these 70 years it has been attacked many times and always come back stronger.
Say what you want, we are here to stay.
Those who attack us, in any way, can expect to be attacked as well.
And we have long gotten used to haters wishing us ill.
We are used to it and can more than deal with it.
Have a good shabbos ( starts Friday night). Light shabbos candles and bring some light into your life and the world.
You won't be alone.
17
This stinking mess is a direct result of the poorly handled British Mandate and the failure of the UN, shortly after the Mandate was terminated, to create a sovereign nation for the Palestinians.
Hatred has always existed between Jews and Muslims. But, as we have seen in the past, they can learn to co-exist. But only as independent nations.
The two State solution is the only solution that will work. Given the length of the current arrangement even if a two State solution were created it would take decades to ratchet down the tension between the two.
Jews absolutely must have a home land, just like Palestinians.
5
@Mark
Did you forget that, in the 1940’s, the Jews agreed to a vastly diminished territory in exchange for peace...and that despite that concession, not to mention Arabs having been granted ALL the territory east of the Jordan river, the Arabs rejected any compromise of partition in favor of waging a war of annihilation to destroy Israel....a war that is ongoing today?
4
@Mark
Nearly 15% of Israel's Jewish population now lives in the settlements and East Jerusalem. Give your speech to them and see if they buy it.
1
To be fair, they are tunneling through Palestinian soil, right?
I sincerely wish for a peaceful, just settlement to these complex difficulties.
3
Easy to make all these arguments when you’re the one in power and those that ALLOWED Jews to settle in their homes and lands in the first place have been relegated to the status of refugees! How ironic!
For someone who claims to be educated, Mr. Stephens, you seem to have no understanding of the word, Semite. Google it, you’ll be surprised to learn that it describes people of the Middle East, not just Jews. Christians and Muslims also make up this segment known as ‘Semites.’
I agree with you. Any premise calling for the state of Israel to be eliminated is not only extreme and radical, it is also impractical! But so is the absence of a two-state solution in this eternal conflict.
We, here, in the West criticize regimes in the Far East and all over the globe for not upholding democratic values ad nauseam. Why can’t we do the same with our strongest ally and friend in the Middle East without being characterized as anti-Semitic? It is Especially hypocritical when this ally or the so-called democratic state (founded on the heels of the Holocaust) institutes Apartheid-era policies and engages in barbaric tactics and the torture of Palestinian women and children in ways, not unimaginable to the Jewish people or their ancestors from 70 years ago. As supporters of democracy, who respect others’ right to exist and practice their faith (no matter the differences)whether at home or elsewhere, we should have the moral certitude and conviction to call out OUR OWN without reservation.
7
@GK
Palestinians have been oppressing Jews for centuries.
Before the Zionists arrived, The Wall also drew the spite and malice of the resident Arabs, who took every opportunity to harass the hapless worshipers, scattering broken glass through the alleys leading to the Wall, dumping their garbage and sewage against it, fouling it with urine and feces.27
The Jews of Palestine were designated as inferior (in law as well as custom), segregated by appearance and residence, subject to discrimination and abuse, and liable to sporadic and not infrequent violence. Lynching—that is, group assault—was not a common occurrence; but it happened often enough, and then with impunity, to constitute an immanent, imminent menace.
and now racist Palestinians oppress Israelis
Running over Israelis is oppression.
Stabbing Israelis is oppression.
Shooting Israelis is oppression.
Firing rockets at Israelis is oppression.
Blowing up Israelis is oppression.
Throwing rocks at Israelis is oppression.
Setting Israeli crops & forests on fire is oppression.
8
The sad truth is that Israel is the only democratic country in the Middle East with an elected President and Parliament including Jews and Arabs and an independent judiciary. All other middle eastern countries are dictatorships denying basic rights to their citizens especially Gaza and West Bank that are governed by Hamas and Hezbolah, both included on the State Department list of terrorist organizations. If you want to promote democracy for heavens sake go after those Arab dictatorships not Israel.
5
@m1945
Two wrongs certainly don’t make a right!
But I’m sure you’ll agree that having suffered the horrors of Holocaust and the countless other episodes of persecution in Europe by Christian governments or during the Crusades or earlier, the treatment of Jews under the Ottoman rule was INFINITELY better, albeit not perfect by any means. Their protection and that of all minorities including Christians was guaranteed under the Islamic constitution, aka Shariah, through a state-imposed tax, Jizya.
Besides, they were always referred to as ‘People of the Book’ quite in CONTRAST to the ‘barbarians’ , ‘monsters’ and other labels ascribed to them by the so-called Jewish government and its supporters.
Blocking roads and food supplies, preventing ships filled with humanitarian supplies from docking, bombing schools, arresting & torturing kids, preventing NGOs and doctors from doing the humanitarian work is nothing short of genocide!
What makes this sadder is the fact these same horrors, nah, much worse were visited upon the same people or their ancestors, who now profess to be the purveyors of democracy n the Mid-East.
An eye for an eye makes the world blind. There’s plenty the two sides have in common to at least talk to each other. Purim celebrates the contribution of the now much-reviled ‘Persians’ to the Jewish community. Kosher and Halal are essentially the same thing. Both sides love Hummus and maybe Seinfeld and Larry David, too. 2-state solution is the only forward!
1
Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Israel was built on land "gifted" by the Brits. Then, they turned to terrorism, and pre-emptive wars to secure the gift. Never it seemed was there a serious plan to love their neighbors as much as they loved themselves. So here we are, all these years on, and once again, the Jewish people of Israel live in peril. It's a shame. But until Israel acknowledges her own acts (King David Hotel, USS Liberty, white powder bombs, destroying infrastrucure for its own sake, collective punishment, etc.), the country of fearful people who celebrate their victimhood will always choose to live in peril. Que sera. The difference is, Americans no longer choose to support a bully country, wealthy and non-democratic. You have a monopoly on opinions in your region (New York) but in the rest of the country, Israel is not our top priority. Sadly, the strength of AIPAC, and the Iron Dome Americans build to secure Israel's borders -- but not our own, have unduly encouraged Israel not to compromise or treat her neighbors better. This land was gifted, not won outright in a military battle of strength. Until your people learn to live in peace with others not like them, I forsee the saga continuing. Worst thing the Jews ever could have done was thrown in their lot with the Evangelical Christians, who interpret their Bibles as thinking Israel must burn/be destroyed to fulfill the Book. Don't you understand how their version ends??? Good luck to all.
11
@Midway
The King David bombing was done to destroy records that the British Command had taken from private Jewish homes and institutions without permission containing information that they leaked to the Grand Mufti for his use in planning attacks against Jews living in the region. The British also used the stolen records and correspondence to try to track ships that were trying to carry Jewish refugees to safety so those ships could be turned back to their originating ports whereupon those Jews were sent to certain death in the Concentration Camps. When the British refused to either return the papers they had hijacked or stop using them in the afore-said manner, the Irgun planned the operation to destroy the records. But unlike Arab/Muslim terrorists then or today, casualties were not only not sought, the Irgun tried to prevent them. They informed the British Command before the blast and urged them to evacuate the premises and they also warned the stores and restaurants lining the same street as the hotel. Those other businesses heeded the warnings which is why the only casualties that occurred were in the hotel. When the British Head of Command was urged by his own men to evacuate, his response was, "I don't take orders from Jews." So, BOOM. An inquest held by the British into the event after the fact did not reflect well on the British Head of Command's actions. He was "transferred" to the boonies of the Caribbean...
5
There is a UN "peacekeeping unit" at the Lebanese boarders-UNIFIL. UNIFIL allowed Hezbollah to build the tunnels.
9
This falls into the narrative of conservative Benjamin Netanyahu supporters that all critics of Israel are anti Zionist and all anti Zionists are anti Semites. Imagine what they call you when you remind them that had Sharon not led Israel into the disastrous invasion of Lebanon in the first place then there wouldn’t have been any Hisbollah to threaten them now. I know that Bret Stevens and other conservative and evangelical supporters of Israel find it impossible to grasp but you can support Israel, oppose Hisbollah and want the oppression of the Palestinians alleviated. Israel’s repression of the Palestinians is driven as much by a conservative settler based agenda as by the resistance of an increasingly desperate people. It becomes impossible to even discuss all these competing claims of victim hood when the very idea of empathy for the other side is unacceptable. There are so many opportunists involved in this conflict that sorting them out and negating their influence is a game of wack a mole. Its not just an exercise of intellectual discourse for more people than the Israelis and paintings all critics with the same brush will not advance the cause of peace or make Israel secure against her enemies.
4
Whose house?
2
"When you find yourself on the same side as Hassan Nasrallah, Louis Farrakhan and David Duke on the question of a country’s right to exist, it’s time to re-examine every opinion you hold." Critics of Israel tend to be impassioned. I have noted an energized hysteria and high level of self-righteousness, too, in those who, rightly or wrongly, support the Palestinians. All of this is acceptable, but I also note an increasing willingness to allow one's passions to overtake one's reason. I hear Farrakhan-levels of anti-Israel hatred coming from the young, chiefly from those attending university. Public discussions on campuses are cancelled because organizers fear that someone pro-Israel might attend. They can't abide debate, can't tolerate opposing views. There is a frenzy for agreement and an end to discussion. My stomach tells me that what follows might not pretty. Fantasies of eliminating the opposition often attend this level of intolerance.
8
I am only half Jewish, but I know I am most clearly defined by those who would have me dead. Hezbollah defines my existence in just this way. They would have me dead. Anti-Zionism calls for the end of Israel, the Jewish homeland. I can and do criticize Israeli politics and actions in the West Bank, but that is as nothing to an armed dominant political force in Lebanon that calls for the end to all Jewish people and attempts to make good on that promise. For those Anti-Zionists out there, it's OK that you are Anti-Semites. That's who you are. Be brave. Say it out loud. "Jews will not replace us"!!!
15
In the past I was a big supporter of Israel. I have visited fur times. However, the present government in Israel is not being an honest broker when it comes to the Palestinians. The right wing government currently in charge keeps confescating land that is meant for the Palestinians. Israel is rapidly becoming an apartheid nation. We all know how that is going to end.
7
@Adele Silz
Apartheid in Israel???
Where are the separate bath rooms & water fountains?
Why are there Arabs in the Israeli Parliament & on the Israeli Supreme Court?
10
Apartheid state? Not likely, if it’s “victims” are represented in parliament and in the country’s highest courts.
4
@Jamie Jackson
In Israel proper, I heard Muslim calls to prayer -- loud and clear. I watched and heard Africans in colorful dress dancing and singing hymns in native tongues inside one of Christianity's oldest churches. I heard a Slovakian choir visiting land that Jordan once ruled and breaking into multi-part harmonies in songs of praise to Jesus. I ate kosher food in a kibbutz by the sea of Galilee and spoke to the manager, who was done the Haj twice. I bought Bedouin pita, Italian sausage, and Australian steak in Jerusalem.
Where in the Arab world would all of these things occur? In Lebanon...once they would have. In Jordan with its huge "refugee" population? In certain spots. In the West Bank or Gaza? In Syria? In Saudi Arabia? In Iraq? Libya? Israel should treat its Arabs better, and soon, and better offer restitution for land. But an Arab woman sits on its high court...show me a Jew on any Arab nation's court -- or street! Alone in the ME Israel offers free elections and many parties, the rule of law, and religious tolerance. I know, it's not enough for Arabs and I agree
But what would an Arab government in Jerusalem offer Christians, Europeans, Hindus, Asians, animists, and Jews? If you lived in Israel, no matter your ethnicity and faith, you'd flee an Arab takeover and abhor Shariah law. Women would. Gays would. Divorce-seekers would. Atheists would. Christians, Hindus, Confucians, Jews. I would.
19
@drbobsolomon
When Arabs ruled East Jerusalem, EVERY Jew was expelled & Christian schools were forced to teach the Koran.
4
Concur. As a non Jew, I simply don’t understand the seemingly knee jerk liberalism which causes so many Jewish people to ignore the evil which lurks in the hearts of these Arab terrorists. Even the IRA, which has been around since 1848 ( different names over time but..) recognized that it had to try to make peace, no matter how repugnant.
The Israelis should stand their ground. Do not listen to the siren call of the leftist, elites. The elites will not help if help is ever needed.
18
Bret, if my house was expropriated and my family forced from its land, you can be sure that I would be tunnelling too. ....... and I could care less what labels you attach to me.
13
@Greg
But let’s not mention the uninvited Arab conquest of the Levant nor the fact that tens of thousands of Arab economic migrants crossed into Mandatory Palestine from elsewhere following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire/WWl...claiming refugee status in perpetuity.
9
@Greg
If people repeating this tired cliche would stop and think about it for a second, they'd realize that if it was followed, the whole world would be at war.
2
Bret you missed the point since it is all about the legal problems that Bibi is facing. The tunnels are despicable and nobody in the right mind will support them. Israel has known about the tunnels for many years but Bibi chose the time now so he can cover his criminal activities. So the results for the Israelis will be another stupid war. It is time to dust of the shelters. This time the blood will be on Bibi's hands.
2
My dog burrowed under our fence and into a neighbour's yard. I guess I am an avowed anti-Semite as I understand that Lewis Farrakhan supports such activities. But wait. I'm Jewish and my neighbour is German. Now I'm really confused.
4
@Stephen Block
No, you're just Canadian.
This "first postnational state" thing is pretty cool, eh?
Israel was founded as a homeland for Jewish diaspora of the Holocaust. Founding Zionists would be horrified at what it's become (and what I only learned from a NYT article): a state that only recognizes Orthodox Judaism, the most fundamentalist sect.
Very close to fundamentalist Islam--women must cover their heads (in America must shave their heads/wear wigs). Only men are educated, in Hebrew & Torah. In NYC Orthodox have enormous political power--but recent Times stories revealed that boys only learn enough English to sign a wedding license, are prepared to be rabbis, nothing else.
Of course Trump & his evangelical base love them--at the Second Coming, all the Jews will convert to Christianity. Meanwhile, the last possible Israeli/Palestinian treaty was destroyed when the Premier of Israel was assassinated. Bebe and his Likud Party incredibly right-wing; like the Donald, he's now being investigated for financial crimes.
How people who suffered under the Holocaust can do the same thing to the Palestinians is beyond me.
And little Jared just cut off food and medical relief to Palestinians in camps. The next generation of ISIS terrorist blood will be on his hands.
8
@Rocky Mtn girl
Ahistorical nonsense.
4
@Rocky Mtn girl
Israel delivers over 800 truckloads of food & supplies to Gaza every day even though Gazans persecuted Jews for centuries & have fired thousands of rockets & mortars at innocent Israeli civilians. Israeli doctors treated 180,000 Palestinians last year. Israel even treats members of Hamas in Israeli hospitals.
4
Israel this, Israel that. It always is Israel. What about those Palestinians? They got driven off their land, their lives made miserable in a KZ like area. Cut off water, cut off supplies, give Israel $5 billion a year, cut the lousy $200 million the Palestinians get. Why is it surprising the Islamists are striking back all over the world? This all could end very badly.
14
@Rudi
Palestinians were persecuting Jews long BEFORE any of these things happened.
“Water shortages in the Palestinian Authority are the result of Palestinian policies that deliberately waste water and destroy the regional water ecology. The Palestinians refuse to develop their own significant underground water resources, build a seawater desalination plant, fix massive leakage from their municipal water pipes, build sewage treatment plants, irrigate land with treated sewage effluents or modern water-saving devices, or bill their own citizens for consumer water usage, leading to enormous waste. At the same time, they drill illegally into Israel’s water resources, and send their sewage flowing into the valleys and streams of central Israel. In short, the Palestinian Authority is using water as a weapon against the State of Israel. It is not interested in practical solutions to solve the Palestinian people’s water shortages, but rather perpetuation of the shortages and the besmirching of Israel.”
4
Opposing the existence of a state in which members of different ethnic groups (as in Jews and Palestinians) are treated very unequally, and which rules over millions of non-citizens with no civil rights, does not necessarily mean wanting to wipe people out. There are some people who believe Zionism is an imperialist ideology (it was always unfair to the Palestinians) who would support a genuinely multi-ethnic state in Israel/Palestine, in which all residents of the territory have equal civil and political rights. It’s known as the one-state solution; Palestinian American journalist Ali Abunima called for this in his 2006 book One Country. When Stephens accuses anti-Zionists of wanting to drive Jews “from their ancestral homeland” he seems to forget that Zionists drove hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes, and are still continuing the project of dispossession and theft of their land and resources. There are haters, racists, and extremists on both sides, but guess what, the Israel haters and Jew haters among them would indeed have less of a following if Israel “behaved better” by recognizing the Palestinans right to exist in their ancestral homeland.
6
@Sarah
Israel is a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, multi-confessional, multi-lingual democracy. I don't see even one majority-Arab multi-racial, multi-ethnic, multi-confessional, multi-lingual democracy so the probability that one-state which would soon be majority-Arab would be multi-racial, multi-ethnic, multi-confessional, multi-lingual democracy is virtually ZERO.
4
Is it a 1 to 100 death rate between Israelis and Palestinians in this protracted conflict? or is it even more one-sided?
What do you expect them to do?
The future of the Jewish people in Israel is grim. Thankfully we still have New York City.
4
@RebeccaTouger
The death rate tells us nothing about who's at fault.
The death rate of Japanese to Americans in World War 2 was 18 to 1.
4
I am unapologetically opposed to Israel and Zionism. Period. Full stop. Don't really care if some Zionist finds that to be anti-Semitic.
9
@David
Bully for you. But the topic is actually important to some. Some would like the world to understand that they can be anti-Zionist and not anti-Semitic.
I write as a pro-Israel, pro-Zionist Jew, who has been involved in Palestinian rights for almost 40 years.
I am certain that there are anti-Zionists who are not anti-Semitic, and anti-Zionists who are.
It really does matter. Because if you just hate Jews, you should have no voice in this discussion. Likewise if you just hate Arabs or Muslims. But if you are actually interested in the legitimacy or non-legitimacy of the Israeli nation-state, and in what rights should accrue to indigenous people in all contexts, and if--as I suspect you are--you are fair and equal in your treatment of these rights regardless of the religious, ethnic, or national make-up of their holders, then it matters very much to distinguish your anti-Zionism from that of those who deeply long to slit Jewish throats whether in Israel or Philadelphia.
Your lack of caring is lazy. Makes it easy for you, but very lazy.
1
Does anyone think that if the Palestinians had welcomed all Jews and shared everything they had that Israelis would have treated them fairly? From the beginning, before any Palestinian hostility, the Israelis attacked and forced them out of their villages. Zionism as practiced now is basically destroy what is left of Palestine. Zionism is apartheid. So anti-Zionism is not hatred of Jews as is anti-semitism, it is hatred of Israeli policies. It is unfair that it taints all Jews. The answer to both is justice for both the Palestinians and the Israelis. Israel has never been interested in justice just the pretense of justice. Blaming the Palestinians for everything doesn’t work anymore. The world knows.
9
@Bronwen Evans
More ahistorical nonsense....
6
@Bronwen Evans
Racist Palestinians were murdering innocent Jews in 1920. Evidence that Jews had killed even one Palestinian before 1920?
4
This is the dumbest opinion piece I have ever read. If Hezbollah is a existential threat to Israel then I am better looking than George Clooney. The occupation is a bigger threat to Israel’s existence. Which is what this opinion piece is about, diverting attention from Israeli policies that are actually self defeating and morally bankrupt.
12
@Antonio Zazueta
If Israel were to end the occupation of the West Bank today, Palestinians would fire rockets & mortars from the West Bank just as Palestinians fired rockets & mortars from Gaza after Israel pulled out of Gaza.
4
"For the people of northern Israel, anti-Zionism isn’t some feckless sally in the world of ideas."
Kind of like, for the people of Palestine, Israeli-controlled water for drinking and sanitation isn't some abstract grievance, huh Mr. Stephens?
8
Equating anti-zionism with anti-semitism and extremism is just lazy, specious rhetoric. The Times should be ashamed of itself for giving a microphone to someone hell-bent on insulting the intelligence of its readers.
This is akin to equating environmentalists with eco-terroists. It wouldn't be hard to infer someone's rhetorical integrity if they did this. Or their respect for our reasoning ability.
It should be enough to know that among the people who call themselves anti-zionists, you'll find many jews, including Israeli jews, and even an outspoken collective of rabbis.
11
Appeals to history by some commenting here do not take into account the 1000+ years of anti semitism throughout the Christian world. The pogroms of Eastern Europe became particularly vicious in the late 19th century, igniting the Zionist movement.
Arab opposition to Jewish emigration became increasingly anti semitic in the 20th century. Some Arab leaders became spokesmen for Nazi Germany to the people in Palestine.
Murders, expulsions and the destruction of homes and villages became de rigueur tactics of both sides during the years after WWII as the British prepared to leave. There were no clean hands.
Taking advantage of a civil war they helped create, 5 Arab nations invaded newly established Israel in 1948 with, for them, disastrous results. Israel took advantage of its victory to drive more Arabs outside the new nation.
Subsequent invasions in 1967 and 1973 were crushing victories for Israel and expansion of its area of direct control, resulting in more refugees and the political disenfranchisement of those Arabs remaining.
Each of these wars were initiated with the express purpose of obliterating the State of Israel. With the Holocaust in living memory, the Jews of Israel had (and still have) no illusions about what an Arab Palestine would mean.
The Arab world is virulently anti semitic. There is no Arab Mandala. "Free Palestine, from the river to the sea," equals many thousands of dead Jews.
Many years will pass before it means anything else.
14
There is no such thing as ‘Palestinian Land’, and never was. There is some land west of the Jordan river owned by private individuals, some of whom may be Arab...and Israel recognizes the ownership. Apart from that ....and excepting the entire country of Jordan...there is no ‘Palestinian Land’.
8
You're not really trying to claim that there are no limits to the expansion of the State of Israel between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean. This is the claim of the far right Israeli politicians like Avigdor Lieberman who has held several important cabinet positions under Netanyahu. It was never the claim of the Zionists who established the State of Israel in 1948.
2
@Shenoa
That's a real old, and empty, argument. I write as a Zionist. You can't pretend there weren't inhabitants butchered and pushed off of land during the establishment of Israel. They lived in a land called "Palestine" under the Romans and later under the British Mandate, so now they call themselves that. Do they have rights to a nation that exceed the rights of Jews to the land of Israel? I don't think so. And neither did the United Nations (a key fact which keeps being omitted). But were there people who had land, homes, farms, water, villages that were lost in the establishment of Israel? Yes. Are there people now living in the so-called West Bank who are subjected to Israeli domination and yearn for something different? Yes. To pretend otherwise suits your attempt at a tidy narrative, but doesn't conform to reality.
3
@Shenoa
In case you missed it: There is a "State of Palestine" recognized by the vast majority of nations on this planet.
1
"A good catchword can obstruct reality for fifty years"
(Oliver Wendel Holms Jr.)
Unfortunately, Jamie Jackson's 'talkback' fro Kansas City had quite a few "catchwords".
In M. East experience, neither one has been proven as true.
Another straw man argument from Mr. Stephens. His lumping of critics of Israeli policies with those who would chase Jews to the ends of the earth reveals an emotional response, not a rational one. He and Douthat should sit together in a community college basic logic course. Maybe they'd realize that Ivy League educations don't necessarily convey wisdom.
5
But by the same token, if a nation imposes upon its indiginous population a level of dispossession, social and economic discrimination and physical separation equivalent to that employed by South Africa's apartheid government, shouldn't it also question the moral company it is keeping?
There was a time when this kind of question was asked within the Jewish State; and Israelis understood that to ask that question was the very essence of Jewish thought and ethics-and perhaps even that to not ask such a question was to fail in one's fundamental spiritual duty of trying to heal the world.
But then Rabin was murdred with the tacit approbation of Likud. And so much of what has followed has flowed from that crime.
It is not antisemitism to say out loud that Likud and its supporters in the ever-metastasizing settlements are acting as oppressors - even if the oppressed are not blameless.
Nor is it anti-Jewish to note the vast distance between Judaism at its most searchingly moral and the hateful certitude of Bibi Netanyahu and his supporters that Pakestinians are inherently deserving of apartheid.
7
@Walter L. Maroney
Arabs are ‘indigenous’ to the Arabian Peninsula, hence the name. They are not indigenous to the Levant.
7
theyve bern there for about 1200 years. Pretty darn indiginous IMHO.
1
@Walter L. Maroney
Self-defense is not oppression.
3
The writer of this article should read about Jimmy Carters past recommendations . Palestinians and Israelis have been in conflict for a century. The historical name Palestine , and the people who lived there have lost much of their land and rights. Historical claims exist for both sides. Israel recognizes only rights for the Jewish population. The conflict has been promoted by both the US and the only USSR with military aid and funding. There has to be a way for both sides to respect each other, and for the claims to the lands to be shared in a respectful manner. Israel has the right to exist, but many Palestinians have lost their land and would like it back. Israel has bombed and overlooked the rights of Palestinians. The Palestinian extremists choose these tunnels as the North Vietnamese chose their tunnels. Israel is surrounded by a very violent and bizarre Middle East. Trump is almost one sided in his approach has he seeks payoffs from the Saudi's while he ignores atrocities and this has not led to a peaceful co existence. There is a way but with the crazy Putin with his newly sent missiles and armed Iranians in Syria , Israel may have left itself in a very strange position by not achieving peace with the Palestinians. By not recognizing the Palestinians right to exist in a peaceful manner, the excuse to fight against Israel goes on with extremists building tunnels. Trump no matter how his son in law creates his current policy will turn out to be anti semitic.
@Ralph Petrillo
Israel accepted the UN Partition Resolution thereby accepting the Palestinians' right to a state, but the Palestinians were not interested in having their own state so they asked for union with Jordan.
3
Now that Brett Stephens has gotten this out of his system, perhaps he could spare some time to write a column to engage with and address the concerns of a far more numerous group than these anti-zionists: Americans who are simply tired of expending American economic and political resources to back the policies of the Netanyahu government. Here is a government that cynically treats its relationship with the US as a relationship with the Republican Party only. Its Palestinian policy can be described largely as confrontation, more confrontation, complain about the other side's confrontational attitude, then demand the US help it contain the fallout of said confrontations in the UN. This is not to mention its corruption scandals.
Netanyahu's very lengthy second go-around as prime minister has used up just about all of my once-significant amount of pro-Israel sentiments, and I know I'm not the only one.
And columns like this, from the likes of Brett Stephens and Bari Weiss, make it worse. Stephens and Weiss never honestly engage with people with genuine criticisms about policy. They duck, dodge, and insult, then write columns like this pretending all criticisms really stems from antisemitism.
9
@citybumpkin
The USA is right to help Israel at the UN because the UN is so bigoted against Israel. For example, the UN criticized only one country for its treatment of women. It was not Saudi Arabia where women were not allowed to drive. It was not Egypt or Iraq or Yemen where girls suffer from female genital mutilation. It was not Palestine or Jordan or Iran where women are subjected to honor killings. It was Israel – a country that has had a female prime minister & female fighter pilots.
The 10 worst countries for human rights are: Syria, Sudan, DR Congo, Pakistan, Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Myanmar, Yemen & Nigeria. So why are there more UN Resolutions against Israel than against the 10 worst countries combined?
There is no boycott of China even though China invaded Tibet & transferred millions of Chinese settlers into Tibet.
There is no boycott of Turkey even though Turkey occupies part of Cyprus and Turkish settlers have moved into occupied Cyprus.
There is no boycott of Morocco which occupies part of Western Sahara.
Unlike China, Turkey and Morocco, the Israel's occupation began because Israel was attacked. Also, unlike China, Turkey and Morocco, Israel offered to end the occupation if Palestinians would sign a peace treaty.
4
Brett, is it not you, and Israel, that needs to recognize Hezbollah's right to exist, along with Hamas'?
When Yitzhak Rabin (may peace be upon him) recognized the PLO's legitimacy, there was a moment of hope for a just solution. That Jewish fanatic's bullet killed a lot more than a man.
5
@Marek Edelman
Prime Miniters Ehud Barak & Ehud Olmert were willing to make much greater concessions than Rabin ever was.
4
The equivalent of the free Palestine from the river to the sea, is the Greater Israel including the Judea and Samaria area.
They're equally denying the right of existence of one country, and the free Palestine is as popular in Gaza than the Greater Israel in Tel Aviv.
When you find yourself on the same side as Hassan Nasrallah, Louis Farrakhan and David Duke on the question of a country’s right to exist, it’s time to re-examine every opinion you hold.
When you find yourself on the same side as Meir Kahane, Benjamin Netanyahu and Avigdor Lieberman on the question of a country’s right to exist, it’s time to re-examine every opinion you hold.
4
The border between Israel and Gaza is not an international border. It is a line drawn by Israel to seal off Palestinians. Israel has stolen land and expelled native inhabitants. Palestinians who have suffered from generations of abuse are not happy. Is that a surprise?
Anti Zionism is about equality for all people in the same place.The Israeli Knesset just rejected a law to maintain equality of citizens. It doesn't even pretend there is justice and equality in the occupied territory.
4
@penney albany
Arab Israelis have more freedom than Jewish Israelis. Arab Israelis have the freedom to decide to join the military or not to join the military. Jewish Israelis don't have the freedom to choose - they have to join the military.
Also, there's Affirmative Action in favor of Arabs in college admissions.
Isn't it hypocritical for Americans to complain that Israel is not treating everyone equally when we Americans have Affirmative Action which discriminates on the basis of race, ethnicity & gender?
Equality in the occupied territory? Was France wrong to refuse to allow Germans to vote in French elections while France occupied Germany? Palestinians attacked Israel. Allowing them to vote in Israeli elections would encourage more people to attack Israel.
5
But but.. there are good people on both sides, Dear President likes to say.
1
Reading all these responses show just how hard it is to make peace. Everyone has a side to take, the side of the Jews or the Palestinians. What’s happening in this world? We don’t seem to want to listen anymore. Its my way or nothing. If we don’t change, the next war maybe far worse than anything we can imagine.
1
After over 600 comments u worry if ANYTHING will ever change in Israel. My dad who fought the 48’ war of independence ( when I was 8) said years later that it would take 100 yrs for peace in the Middle East... as an Israeli American I tend to agree w him as nothing ever seems to change much... AMOS OZ in one of his stories conjures up the rumblings of the land from below... I will no longer sleep over in my childhood friends kibbutz ( on nomanslands edge). It’s frightful to imagine so much hatred and inability for the Palestinians to accept israel’s Presence. In my folks wedding album there is an image of them eating dinner inBeirut! The railroad tracks from my hometown to Beirut still exist; but the peace that must come sometime within the ‘100yrs’ ‘until’- is sadly holding back this newly cast vision...
3
The problem is that Zionism not only sought to "wipe Palestine off the map," it has actually succeeded in doing so.
Of course, in classic "blaming the victim" logic land, it's their own fault. (If only the Iroquois and Comanche had accepted the "reasonable offers" of the European settlers . . . .)
6
@Marek Edelman
If you dig in Palestine, you will find ancient Jewish synagogues, ancient Jewish ritual baths & ancient Jewish coins.
If you dig in America, you will NOT find ancient Christian churches and ancient coins.
Jews have lived in Palestine for thousands of years.
Caucasians have not lived in America for thousands of years.
The European colonists had a mother country which protected them.
The European Jews did not have a mother country to protect them.
When Zionists moved to Palestine, there was a dramatic increase in the native population.
When European colonists came to America, there was a dramatic decrease in the Native population..
4
'Anti-Semite' used to be a person who doesn't like Jews. Now It's often used to describe people Jews don't like. I'm an anti-Zionist. Specifically, I oppose Israel's creeping annexation, it's brutality and inhumanity towards the Palestinians, and its cynical sabotage of any and all peace proposals as explained with unmistakable clarity in 2004 by Dov Weissglass, éminence grise and senior adviser to then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, to an interviewer from Haaretz:
“The significance of the disengagement plan is the freezing of the peace process … And when you freeze that process, you prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, and you prevent a discussion on the refugees, the borders and Jerusalem. Effectively, this whole package called the Palestinian state, with all that it entails, has been removed indefinitely from our agenda... The disengagement is actually formaldehyde. It supplies the amount of formaldehyde that is necessary so there will not be a political process with the Palestinians.""
I am not an anti-Semite. There is no overlap. Where there IS overlap is the many American Jews who defend Israel's abysmal record solely because they are Jewish, and who would condemn Israel's actions if any other nation but Israel committed them.
6
@Ron Critchlow
In the past 30 years, Israel has annexed ZERO territory.
Israel signed peace treaties with both Jordan & Egypt even though that meant giving up large areas of Biblical Israel. This shows that Israel is more interested in peace than in land.
5
Interesting that Stephens believes that Israel has a right to have a wall to stop the Arab "huddled and wretched" masses. But the NY Times editorial policy is to deny the America citizen majority the same efficiency of immigration law enforcement and the stopping of our nation's invasion by 100's of thousands of foreigners per year ... because his group members of our business owner nobility get to greedily use them as 10's of millions of below-living-wage workers in the USA. Also if one attributes even half the crime and murders per capita to illegal immigrants (as committed by US citizens), 11-20 million illegals surely kill, main and wreck the lives of many more Americans per year than Arab attacks on Israel do, so …? The only way to explain this inconsistency is that the NY Times editors and Stephens value higher profits and Jewish lives more than the lives of the rest of us, the "other" inferior tribes. Then there's Stephens' strange essential "denial" of the Second Holocaust committed by the Soviet Union and its puppet regimes. And his 'forgetting' of its continuance via sending Jews to the Gulags after 1945 that made the flight to Israel of mostly Russian and East European Jews necessary because there was still an existential threat to the survival European and Russian people who practice the Jewish religion. But who generally are no more "Semitic" genetically than other European converts to Christianity based on the teachings of the certainly really Semitic Christ.
1
It's only crazy that a piece like this will stand out like a sore thumb.
1
The body count speaks for itself... We know who is doing the killing...We know who has taken land at gunpoint..We know who is building gated and armed Apartheid colonies on occupied Arab land..For the Palestinians in the West Bank and the folks who lost their homes in the Golan the IDF is no joke either..The world knows the truth...The numbers don't lie..
5
@Mark Hall
18 dead Japanese for every 1 American killed in world war 2. Does that mean the Japan didn't bomb Pearl Harbor?
Of course not! The numbers don't tell who is at fault.
The first settlement on the West Bank after the Six Day War was Kfar Etzion. The land was bought by Jews in 1927. In 1929, Palestinians destroyed the settlement. In the 1930, Jews rebuilt the settlement, but again it was destroyed by Palestinians. It was rebuilt in 1943, but destroyed again in 1948. 157 Jews were murdered. 4 Jews survived. It was rebuilt by the survivors in 1967. What's wrong with survivors rebuilding Kfar Etzion?
4
This is the best explanation of Anti-Zionism and how it disguises Anti-Semitism. Bravo! If only people would learn from it. But they prefer to deny Israelis their rights and deny Israel its sovereign rights. Israel suffers from a constant hypocrisy, fed by the media, in which it is held to a higher standard than other countries, yet denied any recognition and approval for meeting higher standards.
15
@Grittenhouse Held to a higher standard or an immeasurably LOWER standard? Just ask yourself what would happen to ANY Arab country behaving as Israel has. They'd be blown off the map in .08 seconds. That's what would happen.
1
It seems that the reason that anti-Zionists are adamant about the extinction of the Zionist "state" is that its so-called existence is due wholly to the expropriation of the Palestinians, which has been ongoing since 1948, or, rather, also intermittently, since 1918, with the result that the land which belongs to the Palestinians is decreasing in size due to the occupation of U.S. funded populations, defended by U.S. militarism, and the size of the occupation is increasing proportionately. This is deracination, coupled with various assaults and murder, along with complete deprivation of human rights and a total lack of duties to human entities which find themselves in the grip of a deluded group of fanatics who have long since ceased to have a homeland. Palestine, despite what the rulers of "Zion" would like to believe, is not Judea, not since Roman times. No wonder then that the occupiers consider anti-Zionism a palpable force, constituting enduring enmity towards them.
3
I am a 80 year old Jew. My family was involved in the founding of the State of Israel. I have been an unqualified supporter of the State of Israel for 70 years, but I am far from a supporter of the government of the State of Israel.
I believe religion should play no part in government as it does in Israel.
I believe that every settlement outside the Green Line is bad for Israel. This includes the large ones like Ariel. Israel exists because of the support of the US government and world Jewry. The blatant immorality of the settlements undermines this support and, in addition, saps the moral fiber of the rational (non fundamentalist) portion of the population.
I believe that a two state solution is impossible because the Palestinians are a rabble—they cannot form a state. There is plenty of evidence for this view. The Palestinians have never had a institution which can perform a basic function of government which is to enforce its own laws.
I used to believe that Israel should withdraw completely to the Green Line (with a special status for Jerusalem) and build a lethal wall along the Green Line and forget the West Bank . Let the Palestinians kill themselves if they want to.
But I recently saw figures that showed that in a short time the majority in that Israel would be Arabs and ultra-orthodox Jews with secular Jews a small minority. Surely that would be a recipe for disaster.
I can see no solution.
4
@Len Charlap It seems there shouldn't be such a thing as a problem with no solution, compromises or no. But the Israel-Arab problem might make the cut.
1
@Len Charlap
If it's OK for Arabs to live in Israel, why isn't it OK for Jews to live in Palestine? Jews lived in the West Bank until Arabs ethnically cleansed the West Bank of EVERY Jew in 1948. Why is it wrong for those Jews to return?
3
People tunnel under your house when you build it on their land.
8
@Troutchoker
Palestinians were murdering innocent Jews in 1920. Jews had not built on anyone else's land.
Palestinians were murdering innocent Jews in 1921. Jews had not built on anyone else's land.
Palestinians were murdering innocent Jews in 1929. Jews had not built on anyone else's land.
...
3
No doubt that there are Anti-zionists of Palestinian background that seek the recovery of what they perceive to be the loss of their homeland. No doubt there were native Americans who felt and perhaps in some cases feel that way today. There are also Zionists who insist the Zionism is defined by Israel's safety without regard to the outcome of people whose heritage is also tied to the land. In other words, Palestinians be damned. So, perhaps truth is seen through different people's experience and the author represents simply one point of view
1
The subtext of so many of the comments in the thread is a litany of the same justifications used by Zionists during the 1948 war, when they drove nearly 800,000 Palestinans from the land:
Jews are virtuous, Palstinians are evil; Jews have the right to a country of their own; Palestinians have the right to move to Jordan. or Lebanon, or Morocco, or Egypt; and, most crucially, Jews were the victims of ethnic cleansing and therefore have the right to commit ethnic cleansing.
Israel, which recently proclaimed itself a Jewish state (a theocracy, like Iran & Saudia Arabia & Indonesia, which are formally Islamic states) has maintained an armed occupation for 60 years. It will maintain that armed occupation for another 60 years, or 120 years, just as long as it has more weapons than the Palestinans.
That is the future. Enjoy it.
7
The US provides Israel with over $3 Billion each year so it can continue to attack Gaza with helicopter gunships, tanks, other military weaponry whenever Netanyahu feels the need to distract the Israeli electorate from his legal problems. The US also votes in the UN to support whatever policy or action Netanyahu undertakes without exception. It is Americans' right to criticize what American money is being used for in Israel and the Occupied Territories and to call for an end to the US's unqualified monetary and political support for the activities of Israel.
2
@d ascher
Palestinians have fired thousands of rockets & mortars at innocent Israelis. Israel uses its weapons to try to protect its people from racist Palestinians.
Former Supreme Commander of NATO and U.S. Secretary of State Gen. Alexander Haig described Israel as "the largest US aircraft carrier, which does not require even one US soldier, cannot be sunk, is the most cost-effective and battle-tested, located in a region which is critical to vital US interests. If there would not be an Israel, the US would have to deploy real aircraft carriers, along with tens of thousands of US soldiers, which would cost tens of billions of dollars annually"
3
The Jewish people who were in Israel already or emigrated there worked their butts off to build a society and a homeland for themselves and their children. THAT is now called "THE STATE OF ISRAEL". Arabs who desire to live peacefully may do so. "Palestinians", whoever that is, are Arabs with an agenda, which anyone can read if they want to. It demands the complete elimination of a sovereign state. Gaza was evacuated by Jewish landowners and is now a hell hole run by Islamic Terrorists. Anyone who even speaks of peaceful reconciliation there is in fear for their lives. But the international press, who can cover the conflicts in the region safely under Jewish protection, see a vastly superior military operation limiting any attacks on Israeli civilians.
I hate this image as much as anyone, but a camera lens doesn't always tell the entire story in context. It's a story that can only be told with a retelling of 48' and '67 and '72. That takes time and effort. People that strap a bomb under their shirt and get on a busload of people are not your friend trying to negotiate or have a conversation with you. They are the embodiment of the "Palestinian" constitution. Oh, BTW, the Saudis couldn't be happier teaching their children this garbage. Remember 9/11?
15
But who is the audience for this (perfectly logical and elegantly expressed) opinion? I honestly cannot imagine him or her.
1
Last I checked, Gaza and the West Bank have never been formally annexed by Israel. Israel agreed not to settle those lands. Yet, we have new Israeli settlements there.
Is it anti-semitic to think that Israel can't keep having it both ways? Israel should either formally annex and settle the land and deal with the repercussions from the international community, or keep their word and hand over the settlements in the West Bank to the Palestinians and move forward with a two-state solution.
In any case, this dispute involves a relatively small number of people, but has consumed vast amounts of attention and resources that could be better spent elsewhere.
9
@robco74
It must be news to you that Israel left Gaza - every last Jewish settler - in 2005.
9
The glaring irony in this is that Hezbollah is essentially Israel's creation. They began their existence as a resistance to the brutal and shameful Israeli occupation of one-third of Lebanon from 1982-2000. The fact of the matter is that Hezbollah proved to be too wily and difficult an adversary for the Israelis and they were key in forcing them to finally withdraw. I'm no fan of Hezbollah, but they did not come out of nowhere and it's disingenuous and false to assume that all the blame goes to one party in this situation.
10
@PK
"The glaring irony in this is that Hezbollah is essentially Israel's creation...it's disingenuous and false to assume that all the blame goes to one party in this situation."
"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." - John F. Kennedy
Palestinian women have 10-15 children. Israeli women, like American women, have two or three. There is no way Israel can agree to a bi-national state because they'd be outnumbered and outvoted and would lose its control and power. The only possible solution is a two-state solution. However, there is little to no evidence that suggests Israel is willing to give up an acre of land. Their modus operandi is to keep taking Palestinian land and building settlements on it. America is useless in establishing peace in that land because the third rail in American politics is to fail to agree with Israeli policy and to support it fully.
4
The Israeli hareidi women also have 10-15 children.
5
@baldinoc
As Bill Clinton later wrote in his memoir:
It was historic: an Israeli government had said that to get peace, there would be a Palestinian state in roughly 97 percent of the West Bank, counting the [land] swap, and all of Gaza, where Israel also had settlements. The ball was in Arafat’s court.
3
Let us not forget that the West Bank and Gaza did not exist as a Palestinian state before 1967. They were part of Jordan and Egypt respectively. The Arab countries could have created a Palestinian state anytime between 1948 and 1967, but they did not do so. Their support for an independent Palestine today is the ultimate in hypocrisy.
16
@J. Waddell
"[Arab states'] support for an independent Palestine today is the ultimate in hypocrisy."
Uh-huh...and Palestinians - is their support for an independent state hypocritical?
As a J-Street supporter, I remain critical of the Israeli government, the treatment of the Palestinians and the persistent stalemate that is terrible for everyone. But at no time do I accept any proposition that calls for an end to Israel. I am heartsick at the rightward lurch of the Israeli government, particularly its embrace of totalitarian strong men like Victor Orban… or the wannabe, Donald Trump. As an American, I deplore the current administration, but I don't want this country to be wiped off the planet. Stephens correctly points out the line in the sand: Anti-Zionism is not a call for Israel to be and do better and it's not a call for the establishment of the state of Palestine, both of which I support. It's a call for the annihilation of Israel. If your "peace plan" is predicated on the elimination of a country, it's probably NOT a peace plan.
12
Yes! Germans tried to exterminate Jews like insects, but Jews saw their way through. Bravo! But then, true to psychological form, Jews turned into their oppressors. They became what they abhor. Now, they are South Africans with aquiline features. No, we don't need any more "states" without a moral mooring. Israel is still within term; an abortion is in order.
1
Have a look at the reactions of the PA leadership to the recent terror attacks in the West Bank. It is not difficult to understand why the situation faced by Palestinians never improves. Something about the definition of insanity.
9
Stephens trots out the outdated portrait of poor, besieged Israel, fending off relentless terrorist attacks.
More accurately, Israel is engaged in a tit for tat conflict. Intellectual honesty and balance would have Stephens at least briefly note the following
Human Rights Watch, June 4, 2017:
Fifty years after Israel occupied the West Bank and Gaza Strip, it controls these areas through repression, institutionalized discrimination, and systematic abuses of the Palestinian population’s rights, Human Rights Watch said today.
At least five categories of major violations of international human rights law and humanitarian law characterize the occupation: unlawful killings; forced displacement; abusive detention; the closure of the Gaza Strip and other unjustified restrictions on movement; and the development of settlements, along with the accompanying discriminatory policies that disadvantage Palestinians.
8
Just one additional comment: the idea that Israel is the "ancestral land" of European Jews is simply preposterous. If people who are 2000 years removed from a piece of land can actually claim to have a legitimate claim to it, then none of us are safe anywhere, no matter where we are born or how long our families may have been there. But, of course, Stephen's argument about "ancestral land" applies far more strongly to the Palestinians, people whose very existence many of Israel's supporters seek to deny by lumping them into some kind of amorphous mass of "Arabs" who can be simply relocated to some other place in the Arab world. The colonial attitudes inherent in that kind of attitude are profound and disturbing. If it is true that Jews, 2000 years removed from a piece of land nonetheless have a claim to that land, then how much stronger is the claim of people only 70 years removed?
8
@Shaun Narine
It is like saying there are no Danish or Dutch, or Swedish people; we are all 'Gemanics' and can be shoved over each other's borders without trauma.
1
How about Pro-Equal rights for Palestinians? This is all semantics. Most people (and countries per UN) just want Israel to stop conquering... er Settlement building in the West Bank and stop counting calories in Gaza (look it up).
5
I abhor the current prime minister of Israel, his coalition and the nationalist law, one should take note of some facts, not hyperbole, about Israel. In 1972, Israel, 24 years old, appointed its first non-Jewish diplomat, a Druze. He then held many positions in and out of the government. Israel also had a Muslim Bedouin as a diplomat at the Consulate in San Francisco. The director of surgery at Hadassah Hospital is an Arab, as are many other physicians at the hospital. Both Christian and Muslim Arabs have been members of the Israeli Supreme Court. They're also Knesset members. In addition to synagogues, there are mosques and churches throughout the country. When we were in Israel in 2015, we had an Arab Muslim taxi driver. We didn't ask, but in a thoroughly enjoyable conversation-- he told us, "I talk too much"-- shared a great deal about his life. He had a cousin who lived in the States and who owned a very successful restaurant; he invited our driver to join the business. The offer was rejected because, "I love my country and will never leave it." Yes, not my favorite Israeli leaders in power now, but do read the Covenant of Hamas where killing of "Jews," not Israelis, is omnipresent. After that, watch a couple of clips from TV children's shows and children wearing camouflage in Hamas summer camps crawling under barbed wire. How can anybody believe that Israel can negotiate peace with Hamas. Or Hezbollah. Or anybody else who wants Israel to disappear.
233
@boobeh
I agree that it's too much to expect to negotiate anything in good faith with Hamas or Hezbollah fanatics. However, just as distinctions have been made between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism, and between Jewish and Israelis, distinctions need to be made between Lebanon and Hezbollah, and between Palestine and Hamas when peaceful coexistence among the legitimate factions is being considered.
While it's probably true that a completely participatory, fully equal democracy consisting of Jews, Palestinians, and Arabs cannot exist, nor is it obvious that it should occur, nothing should preclude a peaceful coexistence and mutual accommodation among them. This realization makes the current arrangement of a mutual annihilation society based on a common hatred between Israel and Lebanon, or between Israel and Palestine, and a parallel mutual admiration society between Benjamin Netanyahu and Mohammed bin Salman based on the convenience of a perceived common enemy in Iran all the more frustrating. The only winners are Netanyahu, bin Salman, and their idiosyncratic sycophants.
Ultimately Hezbollah and Hamas will lose. Israel and Saudi Arabia may win but only in the short term, Eventually, events will catch up, reality will take over, and the Jewish, Saudi, Lebanese, Palestinian, and Iranian people will lose. If they keep insisting on playing their games of hardball with one another and fail to focus on destroying their most destructive elements in the end, everybody will lose.
9
@boobeh The fact of all these Arabs inside Israel that you describe having become an integral part of the nation actually highlights or silhouettes the huge gulf in the way they live inside Israel, and the way Palestinians in the Occupied Territory live. Those Palestinians are not integrated, do not have rights, do not have freedom of movement, do not have economic opportunities; what they do have is the right to forfeit their property pretty much arbitrarily, the right to be detained, searched, detoured, any time or all the time. Israel has to solve this issue, same as England has to solve Brexit, but I know that Brexit will be resolved soon, and the Occupied Territories won't be. This is not a problem foisted upon the Isreali's, the way that Hezbollah terrorism is, it is a problem largely created and maintained by Israel mostly due to internal politics, not by necessity. Resolve the Occupied Territory, and some of this implacable anti-Zionism, maybe a lot of it, at least the part that is not mostly anti-Semitic, will be ameliorated. It would probably ease the increase in anti-semitism over the whole globe. Gaza would be another, a further bridge to cross.
8
@boobeh
Yes, do read the 2017 Hamas Charter (that is, the one that replaced the 1988 charter you and the pro-Israel folks so often invoke as a pretext for imprisoning 2 million Gazan children, women and men, and shooting 4000 of them with live fire when they dean to protest.)
Here's a sample:
Hamas affirms that its conflict is with the Zionist project not with the Jews because of their religion. Hamas does not wage a struggle against the Jews because they are Jewish but wages a struggle against the Zionists who occupy Palestine. Yet, it is the Zionists who constantly identify Judaism and the Jews with their own colonial project and illegal entity.
Without compromising its rejection of the Zionist entity and without relinquishing any Palestinian rights, Hamas considers the establishment of a fully sovereign and independent Palestinian state, with Jerusalem as its capital along the lines of the 4th of June 1967, with the return of the refugees and the displaced to their homes from which they were expelled, to be a formula of national consensus.
http://hamas.ps/en/post/678/a-document-of-general-principles-and-policies
FYI, there's nothing in it about killing Jews.
6
Stephens wrote:
"Today, anti-Zionism is a call for the elimination of a state — details to follow regarding the fate befalling those who currently live in it."
But didn't Zionism call for the "elimination" of territorial and governmental entities that had been controlled by the British (and before that, the Ottomans)? And wasn't the fate of the people already living there (Palestinians and Jews) not fully accounted for?
Israel wasn't "created" by ethically-pristine circumstances! Territories were being taken from various entities, and given to other entities.
On a macro level, the "compromises" made in how the territory was being divided, and whom it was going to be taken from and given to, might seem "even-handed" or "fair." (Or, at least acknowledged as compromises, with equitable unfairness.)
But to the hundreds of thousands of people/families who were physically displaced (or who were trapped in a new "country" they had no desire to live in), the fact that the compromises "balanced" in the larger picture meant nothing, because regardless of that, their own lives were being uprooted.
I'm not denying that the surrounding Arab countries (who were not all directly impacted by the partition plan) didn't over-react, nor that their reaction wasn't rooted in anti-Semitism (which was obvious).
However, by ignoring what was done to the Palestinians when Israel was created, Stephens (and many others) depicts a false and biased understanding of the history of the region.
10
@Paul-A
"Stephens and many others" do not ignore what happened in 1948. There is a concept in the study of history known as "path dependence". Losing multiple wars of aggression has consequences. After seven decades of digging the hole they find themselves in with the help of their Arab "friends", the Palestinians now complain about its depth.
5
Mr. Stephens,
You wrote, "If anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism are meaningfully distinct (I think they are not), the human consequences of the latter are direr."
If anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism are indeed not meaningfully distinct, then does that mean, for example, that the Satmar Hasidim qualify as anti-Semites?
6
This is an outstanding, carefully constructed column, Bret. I hope that your readers, instead of immediately retreating to their respective corners, would take some time to digest this essay.
>>>"Anti-Zionism is ideologically unique in insisting that one state, and one state only, doesn’t just have to change. It has to go. By a coincidence that its adherents insist is entirely innocent, this happens to be the Jewish state">>>
I wish that every "anti-Zionist" would genuinely confront this passage, and be honest with themselves in thinking about their response.
As much as I also often enjoy the columns by Michelle Goldberg, I very much wish that she, in light of her recent "opposing" piece, would do this exercise as well.
10
Great Bret.
You are telling it like it is.
9
@Wayne No, he's telling it as he sees it.
1
What so many don't understand is that the world is a "zero-sum game" when it comes to carving out a state. We Jews had nowhere to call home for centuries and finally by the 19th century we began to act on our historic claims. The crimes against us by the Germans, emerging from the shameful historical European backdrop, resulted in the fulfillment of our national claims a mere 70 years ago after losing a third of our population.
Sadly, others had to lose out for us to gain our state and in this case it was the Arabs of Palestine. Let's keep in mind that history has records of many others who have lost in similar circumstances. Looks to any place on the planet and research its history of population movements for examples. It isn't fair, but it is the way of our species and to claim otherwise is plain wrong.
Can one really blame the Palestinians for their claims, as opposed to their actions? I say this as an Israeli by choice, anyone who does not have compassion for the average Palestinian should be ashamed of him or herself. People are people and deserving of a decent life. Too bad the Palestinian leadership is as guilty of contempt for their own people as anyone else.
Vis-a-vis Israel, whether you call it anti-Zionism or anti-Semitism doesn't matter; the practical effect is the same. We can be accommodating, but we are not planning on committing national suicide. Anyone who doesn't understand this is either terribly under-educated or willfully ignorant.
12
@Billy Baynew
West Virginia used to be part of Virginia.
What did any Virginian lose by part of Virginia becoming West Virginia?
2
The essay hits the nail right on the head. One can criticize misconduct of the Israeli government all day long without being an antisemite. However, one cannot deny the right of Jews to remain in Israel as a sovereign nation and the Jewish homeland unless one is an antisemite.
18
@Richard F. Kessler
Could we deny the Afrikaners the right to remain in their Afrikaner state without that being tantamount to a demand that they be exterminated or expelled? Sure we could.
4
You always have to worry about someone tunneling under your house when you build your house on someone else's property.
13
@Troutchoker So, the Druze/Christian/Muslim Israelis living in northern Israel (and that is exactly where many live as their ancestors did) don't have reason to worry? Hezbollah can distinguish between them and Jewish Israelis? Good to know.
4
@Troutchoker
Beg your pardon...whose property?
3
Nice wall!
Can we have a Wall here too? Or is that just for Israelis, while Americans don't deserve one?
2
@Steve Sailer When Mexico starts lobbing missiles into Texas and other border states, and Mexicans have declared an intifada against US civilians, sure. Until then, no, we don't need a wall.
5
Bret,
Please explain how you justify Israel allowing Israelis to settle Palestinian land in the West Bank. Curious that you never mention that.
11
There is no such thing as Palestinian land and never has been. Gaza used to belong to Egypt and West Bank to Jordan and both renounced their ownership after a losing war with Israel. At best one can call them disputed territories whose final status needs to be negotiated once Arabs renounce the use of terrorism.
7
Why not set up a demilitarized zone separating Gaza and Israel? The DMZ helped keep the peace between North and South Korea since the late 1950's. The DMZ between Israel and Gaza can be patrolled by the UN. It's worth a try because nothing else has worked.
47
@sharon5101
However, the DMZ between North Vietmam and South Vietnam did not work so well.
For a DMZ to work, the parties on both sides must want it to work.
9
@sharon5101
How about a DMZ between the red states and the blue states? I'm sure the Russian army would be happy to oblige.
Sharon, why do you think it justified to cut off the 2 million Palestinians of Gaza from the other five million (many of whom are literally their cousins) in the West Bank and Israel?
BTW, Koreans on both sides of their DMZ believe Korea was one nation for a thousand years before any foreign army showed up, and will be one nation again.
6
@sharon5101
Well, the UN presence on the Lebanese border has been a remarkable success, so why not?
12
When your nation's existence is predicated on the permanent subjugation of another ethnic group it's time to get real with yourself.
"Israeli apartheid is unconscionable."
"But... Farrakhan!" is not a reasonable response.
Shame on Bret, who is an apartheid shill.
20
@Judy
The use of the term "apartheid" to describe either Israel or the areas under military occupation is evidence of anti-Semitism or, more likely, of profound historical ignorance.
5
One persons subjugation is another’s attempt to manage terrorism
2
After 600-plus comments, has anyone’s mind actually been changed??
Didn’t think so!
6
Thank you! The other day I read Michelle Goldberg's terribly uninformed opinion without a understanding of the origin of Zionism from the 19th century through Lord Balfour, The white letter, to the ousting of Churchill culminating in the refusal by all countries around the world to admit concentration camp refugees. Michelle's ignorance presents ludicrous arguments given the real history.
The idea of a 'homeland within' the British mandate to live side by side with the Arabs within a Palestine that encompassed all of Jordan as well, was rejected by Arabs leaders of their new kingdoms established arbitrarily after WW-I. Those rulers collaborated with Hitler in his effort to exterminate the Jews. All this occurs before there is a 'homeland' for Jews living alongside Arabs, let alone a 'state' Israel.
I appreciate that you, Bret Stephens, focused on current issues and exposed the true meaning of Anti-Zionism—a continuation of older versions of Antisemitism that continue to this day, and not just in the Arab countries.
17
I could believe that anti-Zionism was not the same as anti-semitism if anti-zionists also fought for the end of the occupation of Tibet. But they do not. They focus only on the Jews.
16
Just because you're anti-Trump doesn't mean you're anti-American.
Just because you're against some Israeli policies doesn't mean you're anti-Israel.
Just because you're against the right of Jews to live in their own homeland doesn't mean you're an anti-Semite....Wrong. It does mean that. By definition.
15
It is important for die-hard supporters of Israel, like Stephens to use a broad brush to characterize all critics of Israel to be anti-Semitic. His viewpoints on this, as usual, are black and white, with Israel never deserving of criticism. It is a zero sum game for them . Many people who are calling for BDS or one state (including young Jews in the US) are sick of the never ending occupation, the demonization of Palestinians and the burgeoning apartheid system in the occupied lands. Stephens never offers a solution or criticism of Israel, only attacks on those who oppose Israel's policies.
8
When you find yourself on the same side as Benjamin Netanyahu, Theodor Herzl and Golda Meier on the question of a country’s right to exist (Palestine), it’s time to re-examine every opinion you hold.
Yet another piece of pro-Zionist, anti-Arab neo-colonialist claptrap. When you compare the history of Jews under Christendom versus that under Islam, it is clear that living under Islam has been a substantially better experience that was devoid of European-style anti-Semitism. No, Jewish life under Islam wasn't perfect, but the Palestinians would consider it a trade-up from living under Zioniam. Zionists privilege the national aspirations of WHITE, European Jews over those of Palestinians in the latter group's indigenous lands. Mind you, while the Arabs/Muslims had nothing to do with the mass atrocities that Assyrians, Romans, Spaniards, Russians, and Nazis committed against Jews, it is nevertheless the Arabs/Muslims who have to pay the price by ceding to 20 million Jews a site that is the third holiest to 1.5 billion. Public opinion used to be empathetic to Zionism's position in the decades after the Holocaust, but it is increasingly clear that Israel is a colonial-settler state that overreaches its 1948 boundaries to encroach on Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank and Gaza with impunity. What’s worse: To be denied membership in a country club because you’re Palestinian, or driven from your ancestral homeland and sovereign state for the same reason? Anti-Semitism my foot.
12
@Alex
Jews have lived in the middle east as long as Muslims have. The "arab countries" were imposed after WW I. So how do you figure that Jews don't have a right to some of the land. BTW the Temple was in place before the Grand Masque.
5
True, Jews living in Muslim lands were better off than those living in Europe. But in more recent times, Palestinians are suffering the results of Arab countries rejecting the UN partition plan, allying themselves with Hitler, starting 3 wars against Israel and losing them all and now using terrorism as a tactic and refusing to negotiate and recognize the legitimacy of Israel. All these have consequences and unfortunately Palestinians are paying the price.
3
The biggest mistake that the United States ever made, was in having a quota of how many Jews could come into this country after World War 2, after the Nazi occupation and decimation of the Jewish people not only in Germany, but across Europe. The idea that the promised land is Israel is not true, in that the idea of a promised land, would be one of peace, and one flowing with milk and honey. There is not peace there, irrigation supplies the milk, and honey, but in reality, all Jews would of had a better life here in America. Religion however, has made the idea that there should be a place, for all the Jews in the world to come, when in fact, even if the state of Israel took all the rest of the land away from the Palestinians like they started to do since 1948, the British mandate for Palestine was terminated, the Jewish state of Israel was established, the 1948 Arab-Israeli War began, there still wouldn't be enough room for all the Jews in the world to come live there. So, in reality, Israel is just a religious place, not a spiritual place. So, is Palestine, a religious place, not a spiritual place, as war doesn't lead to peace. I once told a student from Tel Aviv when I was on a boat cruise around Manhattan, that there would never be peace over there, because most of the Jews want all Arabs out of the area, and most of the Arabs that want all Jews out of the area. I said that in the fall of 2000, 18 years ago, and little has changed since then.
6
@MaryKayKlassen
The Jews should have been given half of Germany at the end of WW II.
4
So are Jewish people who don't believe in Zionism for religious and/or political reasons anti-Semitic?
9
Hey, it takes a lot of work (and cognitive dissonance) to toe the progressive line these days! I mean, imagine the mental gymnastics required to fight for the rights of Kurds, Tibetans and Muslims worldwide, support Iran and champion human rights for all people while at the same time singling out the Jews as the only ones who should give up their own established homeland.
But, "anti-Zionism isn't anti-semitism", right?
9
@them
The problem is not that it's a Jewish state, it's that Israel is an apartheid state. Give the Palestinians equal rights, and you are golden. The problem, of course, is not that they are anti-semitic savages, but that they have a higher birth rate. But in a democracy, the demographic chips fall where they may.
3
Is opposition to the policies of the Israeli government even anti-zionist? By that definition, is any opposition to the policies of Donald Trump anti-American? True, Trump would probably say "yes", just as Netanyahu would to the first question, but, really, informed opposition to a country's government is not necessarily opposition to its people.
1
I reject "God on Our Side" ideologies, which use religion to claim a divine right to land and justify war to keep that land, whatever the ideology is called. I don't support Jews, Muslims, Christians, Hindus, or members of any religion, who believe war is justified by their God. That's not anti-Jew, anti-Arab, or anti-religion; it's anti-hate.
7
I am neither.
However, while I support the right of the state of Israel to exist, I believe, emphatically, that Israel should be required to live within their legal borders. The continued colonization of the occupied territories mirrors, ironically, that which Nazi Germany intended for Poland and Russia. The writer's statement that "Israelis haven’t succumbed to the fatal illusion that, if only they behaved better, their enemies would hate them less," when viewed in this light, must lead one to the response "How would you know? You haven't tried it since 1974."
7
What happened to the Bret Stephens who said this not long ago:
"In other words, to disagree well you must first understand well. You have to read deeply, listen well, watch closely. You need to grant your adversary moral respect; give him the intellectual benefit of doubt; have sympathy for his motives and participate empathically with his line of reasoning. And you need to allow for the possibility that you might yet be persuaded of what he has to say."
Apparently doesn't apply to those who support Palestinian rights. Much easier to just label them anti-Semites, even if they're Jewish.
201
@Bill Tucker Stephens isn't talking about Palestinians and their rights. He is talking about Anti-Zionists. Not the same thing.
Some Palestinians may be Anti-Zionists. Clearly not all are. So Stephens can well agree, as I do, that Palestinians have rights, and still deny that among those rights is the elimination of the Israel and its people. In my view, Stephens is careful not to violate the very good advice he gave in your quoted comment.
40
@Bill Tucker
Bring pro Palestinian is not the same as being anti Zionist. You can believe in a Palestinian state and believe the Jews have a right to Israel. Anti Zionism requires the destruction of the Jewish state
23
@Bill Tucker Bill, it is not about supporting rights of Arab Palestinians, but about denying rights to Jewish Palestinians, also named Israelis.
If supporting the rights of Arab Palestinians comes at the expense of the rights of Israelis to have their Jewish State in their original homeland, then it is antisemitism. Jewish self hate, Judische Selbhass, is not a new phenomena and being Jewish is not an excuse for antisemitism.
7
Bottom line: If Bret Stephens had been born a Palestinian in the West Bank or Gaza, wouldn't he hate Israel with all of his being? He would most likely live without hope of a life of freedom, as Israel has said there will never be an independent Palestinian State.
Would he be working at planning a war against the apartheid state, or would he be looking at the thought of a Jewish Zionist Israel that, with settlers help, with joy?
Sooner or later all oppressed people rebel.
So would he.
Hugh
10
This is an extremely irresponsible OpEd. Anti-Zionsim today is rejection of both the ideology and practices of the Israeli state, especially its occupation of the conquerred territories and repression of the Palestinians. It is also the assertion that Palestinians have human rights.
What unifies anti-Zionists is the advocacy of human rights and democracy for all -- and for a political structure that guarantees and defends human rights and democracy.
Stephens takes an extreme anti-Zionist stance, amplifies and distorts it, and then states that his purposely amplified and distorted definition of anti-Zionsim characterizes anti-Zionism. Stephens knows better but he is eager to discredit anti-Zionism for some unknown reason. Should one ascribe to him the most extreme pro-Zionist stance and assume he wants to transfer all non-Jews from areas currently under Israeli control? That would be consistent with his methodology of discussing anti-Zionism.
6
Semantics, semantics! At the end of the day Israel is a foreign country, and like any foreign country it has its own challenges. Unlike most countries, it is a nuclear superpower in its region. It is admirable, energetic, innovative, and richer than many European countries. But, it does not believe that all men are created equal as we do, so it is not like us.
When Israeli interests openly manipulate the US, that's when the problem starts. I don't want us to attack Iran as we did Iraq, at the cost of trillions and lives. I don't think Israel is a sacred object I am forbidden to boycott, and where I have to watch how I criticize lest I be called anti-Semitic.
Israel is abusing Palestinians and stealing their land. The simplest way to solve this would be for the US ambassador to Israel to be a Palestinian American.
6
Arabs are still trying to win the war they started, and lost, 70 years ago, and there’s a price to pay for that...
Do you honestly think that Israelis should submit to yet another exile, pogrom, genocide, war, intifada, March of Return? Been there, done that...not gonna happen again.
12
@Shenoa EXACTLY!!!
3
How about our homegrown evangelical dominionists?
Care to weigh in and include their agenda into the equation?
Hint: you may find their ultimate goals are not so pure as they hide their anti-semitism in the skirts of (pro) zionism.
3
The same arguments were used against the the horrible, hateful, savage Native Americans when Europeans stole their lands from them and they dared to fight back.
8
The flaw in this article as is the case in almost treatises about the plight of Jews and Zionism, is that it starts with the premise that, of course, Jewish and Zionist views, laws and beliefs are immutable and correct. To think otherwise is. by definition, to be anti-semitic. I have long argued that what makes the world anti-Jew is the Jewish insistence that they are always correct since they are "the chosen people". That perspective may work for you if you are Jewish, but not so much if you are any other Religion or even a non-believer. The rise of hateful groups like those represented by Nasrallah is a direct result of thousands of years of religious wars. Every time a new religion rose up, Catholic, Muslim, the existing ones persecuted them to eliminate the threat. And, the new religions responded to protect themselves. That is what we have today. The Zionists believe God gave them all the land between the Jordan River and the Sea. Those who have lived there for as long and are not Jewish do not share their view. So now, the Zionists want to push them out. Each side lines up their allies and so it goes and will always go until there is an acceptance of the fact that people who believe in one religion rarely believe in the other. Maybe some day, they will all get tired of fighting when they realize that instead of changing minds, they are creating greater hatred against themselves.
5
I'm amazed that Stephens doesn't see the irony in asserting that "The explicit aim of the anti-Zionist is political or physical dispossession", to drive Jews from their "ancestral homeland and sovereign country" just because they're Jews.
Wasn't that, in reverse, the precise premise and historical reality of Zionism: the creation of an ethno-state where Palestinians were driven out of their ancestral homeland and sovereign country?
This racist foundation is reflected in the racist mindset of many modern Israelis, and not just regarding the Arabs in their midst and on their borders. The sentiments expressed by some Israelis when Obama was elected in 2008 were so offensive that they had to be removed from YouTube.
This column is just another iteration of the endless "they started it" argument of competing narratives which serves only to rationalize one side or the other, but doesn't really move the needle forward. You could read any Safire column on Israel from 40 years ago and find the identical arguments.
What has changed in the meantime, however, is that many Americans have grown resentful about being identified with Israel's aggressive settlement policies in defiance of U.N. resolutions and diplomatic pressure. Israel started our as an underdog, but has long since morphed into a bully. That, and not anti-Semitism, is why they have lost our automatic support.
9
Stephens asks: "What’s worse: To be denied membership in a country club because you’re Jewish, or driven from your ancestral homeland and sovereign state for the same reason? "
Palestinians ask: "What's worse: To be denied a sovereign state because world powers helped a budding Theocracy kick you out of your homes, or live in an Apartheid state where you are separate but Unequal?"
8
There’s a big wall in this picture ... who built it?
Sometimes the simple truth is right in front of your eyes. Not in some narrative of this vs. that
1
That wall, which is actually a fence in most areas, was to stop the Palestinian terrorists from infiltrating Israel to attack and kill civilians.
4
In Ronen Bergman's splendid book, "Rise and Kill First," there are several chapters devoted to Israel's invasion and occupation of Lebanon from 1982 to 2000. We have IDF Gen. Meir Dagan operating what his subordinates described as a "death squad" that kidnapped and killed about 300 Lebanese who had the temerity to resist an invasion of their nation. We then have the testimony of an unnamed IDF intelligence officer in charge of "liaison" with the pro-Israel militias. In addition to assisting with target selection, he was obliged to be present for the torture sessions. He tells us he "had to take anti-nausea pills" on many occasions. Poor baby. We then have the joint Israeli/Saudi attempted assassination of Hezbollah's Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah. On March 8, 1985, a car bomb carrying 200 kilograms of explosives detonated outside Fadlallah’s home in the southern suburbs of Beirut. The bomb devastated the neighborhood, killing 80 people and wounding approximately 200 more. Fadlallah, however, escaped without injury.
And then there's the southern Lebanese village of Qana. Twice the Israelis have pummeled it with ordinance, each time killing hundreds of civilians (by their own admission). (Hezbos to blame, of course.)
But all of that's justified by the Nasrallah quote. Sure Bret.
I often ask myself what Trump transgression would cause his base to peel away from Il Duce. I've concluded there is none. The same appears true for the Zionist caucus.
7
Please straighten this out. The early Jews committed Old Testament sanctioned genocide against the Canaanites and occupied the land. The Romans then dominated the jews, so then it was their land. So the land really technically belongs to the Canaanites, but, like the native americans, that really isn't going to happen.
The jews also blew up the King David hotel to force the British to relinquish Palestine. Terrorism is justified.
So fight on brothers. Fight on. Righteousness is not on your side, but when did that matter to anyone, anywhere at anytime.
5
By bringing up the Maalot massacre, why is Bret Stephens conflating Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shi'ite organization, with the DFLP, which was a Palestinian Marxist group led by a Christian? What is the common thread?
1
So who is the bigger anti-Semite - Jeremy Corbyn or Viktor Orban?
Corbyn has become the poster child of anti-Zionism, common in the European left - based on seeing Israel as a colonialist/imperialist creation, seeing Zionism as an a form of exclusionary ethno-nationalism, seeing Israel as a military occupier, as an Apartheid state, and in fighting for Palestinian rights, seen as the victimized indigenous people - being the same as anti-Semitism. The Stephens argument. An increasing number of British Jews believe that Corbyn is not only anti-Israel, but that he is an anti-Semite and that Corbyn's Labour Party is also anti-Semitic - painful given that Britain's Labour Party has historically been the political home for British Jews. Given Theresa May's and Conservative Party's Brexit fiasco, Corbyn could be the next PM.
Viktor Orban openly admires Miklos Horthy, the World War II-era leader who allied Hungary with Nazi Germany leading to the deportation and murder of half a million Jews. He and his party openly vilify George Soros in overtly anti-Semitic ways. Hungarian Jews are horrified and protested. Israeli Ambassador to Hungary protested. Netanyahu's government made Ambassador stand down. The preamble of the new Hungarian Constitution implies Hungarian nationalism is for Christians only. Orban supports Netanyahu's Israel -common anti liberal democracy, pro ethno-nationalism. Bannon loves Orban.
Anti-Semitism defined based on supporting Israel or not only.
2
Israeli propaganda, their re-writing of history, the obvious imbalance of power between Palestinians and Israelis is losing its grip on the American people and American Jews. The facts of Israeli brutality are known. What are tunnels some might say when your children are murdered by the thousands, when your life is a cage, your land is taken, you cannot work and even your education is meaningless? If your life is controlled by zealots under the guise of victims and the ignorance of a bamboozled American public what do you do?
6
‘Murdered by the thousands.’
You’re in the right region, but just move your thumb over to Syria and Yemen.
That’s where children are being murdered by the thousands. It’s not happening in Israel. Not in the Palestinian areas either.
3
I guess the question of whether anti-Zionism equates to anti-Semitism depends on what quality of Zionism one is talking about. If we are talking about the internationally sanctioned right of Jews to have a Jewish nation state within the borders provided for in 1948, Hezbollah's dreaming of pushing the Israel's Jewish population into the sea would imply anti-Semitism at its root. On the other hand, if we are talking about Israel's conquest of the parts of Palestine not assigned to it the partition of Mandate Palestine, opposition to that land grab cannot be characterized as essentially anti-Semitic even if some opponents harbor anti-Semitic beliefs. Even an avowed Nazi can himself be a victim of unjustified persecution.
I think many people use the term anti-Zionist a lot more broadly that Stephens claims. They are more concerned with Israel continuing to build settlements, the harsh conditions under which Palestinians live, or to essentially establish apartheid. Perhaps they aren’t being precise in their terminology, and that doesn’t mean they aren’t anti-Semitic, but we should make sure we understand what people truly mean.
2
There is an asymmetrical relationship between Israel and Palestinians. Israel has all the military, economic, communications and diplomatic might. It is aggressive against all critiques.
"Anti-Zionism" is not monolithic. In the movement seeking justice for Palestinians, intentions of bigoted antisemites are transparent and not welcomed. The larger BDS movement does not include Hezbollah or its aggressive fellow travellers. It does include many Israelis and diaspora Jews.
The Pittsburgh synagogue was attacked because they supported refugees--the perpetrator stated as much.
Israel has never acknowledged any abrogation of rights of Palestinians, and it has attempted to justify collective punishment and the longest military occupation in modern history. In this, ordinary Israelis and Palestinians are both locked in a tragic predicament, with Palestinians suffering the brunt of it.
For months now, IDF snipers have been shooting largely unarmed, nonviolent protesters in Gaza, even targeting journalists and medics.
All occupants of the land from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, whatever we may call it, want to and deserve to live in peace,in the light of justice, with full human rights. Israelis have all this. Palestinians in Gaza have none. With 95% of the drinking water contaminated, amd Israel limiting bottled water import, more than a million children are being poisoned.
Where is the justice?
7
@Karen DeVito In 1948 when several Arab countries attacked Israel simultaneously, the "asymmetrical relationship" was reversed.
The Israelis had to earn their superior position, one life, one irrigation project, one education, one attack at a time. They've earned it, and now you and the world are beating them up over it?
1
@Karen DeVito
And all the weaponry it wants--supplied by the American taxpayer.
3
RE: being on the same side as Louis Farrakhan: Not only is he a virulent Anti-Semite, but Farrakhan was also implicated in the murder of civil rights leader Malcolm X. (See THE JUDAS FACTOR by Karl Evanzz).
How could anyone who advocates civil and human rights possibly admire Louis Farrakhan?
8
Let us not forget the complete destruction of thousands years-old Jewish community in the Middle East and North Africa, predating Islam, actually. 900,000 Jews from these countries were systematically forced to leave their homes. This should be acknowledged.
20
@DLP
Even if true, why does that justify ghettoizing Gaza and shooting 4000 human beings inside of it when they protest?
(BTW, many, if not most, of those 900,000 did not "flee" their Arab-majority homelands, they answered Israel's call to make aliyah. Read "My Promised Land," by Avi Shavit where he quotes Mizrahis calling your claims Ashkenazi racism.)
5
@DLP
How many native Americans were driven out of Brooklyn? It's an absurd argument--history is nothing but stories of one people being conquered by another and driven from their homeland. Shall we all go back to where we lived in the Stone Age?
Nonsense; they would never have left their homes, businesses and culture without the brutal eviction policies of Arab governments. These included property confiscation, professional discrimination and even imprisonment. Just one example: at one time Baghdad’s population was a quarter to a third Jewish; now it is zero. This thriving community not uprooted by a Zionist siren song but by official hostility in the wake of Israel’s creation by UN vote.
3
There is a false dichotomy between anti-Semitism and reasonable criticism of Israel. Demonization of Israel, well beyond any reasonable criticism (for example, "Apartheid State"), is possible even in the absence of anti-Semitism, and often occurs. This, and anti-Semitism, are different forms of demonization, with different (though often overlapping) targets and different (though overlapping) reasons.
5
The awkward reality is that from the Atlantic coast of Morocco to the eastern borders of Iraq and Saudi Arabia, no Arab society treats non-Arabs and non-Moslems as equals. That remains the most important reality in considering the practicality of of a one-state situation.
178
@Quiet Waiting
So, what, "Arab societies" are the new standard by which we are to measure Israel, which has plenty of its own non-equality, non-representation issues?
Quite a come-down since the advent of Netanyahu, wouldn't you say?
15
@oogada We should only have one standard for humans, whether they reside in Israel, Egypt, China, or the United States of America.
9
@Quiet Waiting But if Israel purport to be a Democracy why need it be compared to monarchies and dictatorships? Shouldn't it do it's best to aspire to be more like Canada than say... Qatar? Or are you trying to argue that people of Arab descent are inherently anti-Democratic? Because if its the latter then you need to remember Tahrir Square and the Syrian Civil War.
13
You reap what you sow.
4
Strange to me that the very same PC people who advocate for Tibetan rights of national sovereignty, and claim such rights should never expire, don't recognize the right of Jewish state to exist. Jews are an indigenous people of that land. Like Tibetans, not all Jews are religious. Jewish culture is much bigger than Jewish religion. I'd love to see two virtual nations on one land--with all rights for all inhabitants. But so long as there are those who wrongly claim that the sheer existence of a Jewish State is racist, unmerited, and illegal, that will never happen.
18
@Michael
Not many take the extreme stands you describe.
Certainly not those who are flummoxed by Israel's concerted effort to keep the risk level high, to prevaricate and provoke, to act the bully and the helpless maiden in the same breath.
I am extremely anti many Israeli policies; I can't think of a single thing that has done more to ruin Israel's reputation internationally than Benjamin Netanyahu.
Still, I wish Israel well.
I just wish they would act like they deserve it, for once.
2
What an insulting and unconvincing attack on a liberation movement. If anti-Zionists are to be lumped in with Nasrallah, Farrakhan, and Duke, surely Zionists must lay claim to Richard Spencer, and to Viktor Orban, Augusto Pinochet, Leopoldo Galtieri, any number of right-wing monsters who've had no trouble balancing their own anti-Semitism with mutual support from Israel.
Anti-Zionism opposes the existence of Israel AS A JEWISH STATE. This characteristic ensures that there can be no equality, no right, no justice, for anyone else. It is an arrangement that ought to be despicable to any Jewish conscience.
11
Elle, There are 7 countries where Roman Catholisim is the official religion. There are 4 countries where eastern Orthodox is the Official State Religion. There are 4 countrys that have Lutheran as the official religion, 2 with Presbyterian, 30 countries with Islam as the State Religion and there are 6 countries with Buddhism as the official State religion.
There is only 1 country with Judaism as the official religion, and it was only recently made that way...and you say that is 1 too many that Israel can exist but not as a Jewish State. That is Anti-Semitic.
8
@pirranha299
Each, every and any racial/ethnic/theocratic state is unjust. Israel happens to be the only one our nation supplies with 25% of its military budget, 43 of America's 47 UN Security Council vetoes, and a seemingly bottomless well of prettification.
3
What an outrage to insert an anti-Zionist comment, with many recommendations, into an op-ed, which I'm reading online, describing the dangers of Hezbollah and its infiltration into Northern Israel. This has nothing to do with the West Bank, nothing to do with Gaza. This is a terror group that is a party to the chaos in Syria and is the de facto ruling party of Lebanon.
3
@Joel Gardner
What international law? Are you suggesting that an armistice line established in 1949...after Jordan’s attack on Israel failed to annihilate the Jewish State...is an international border?
No. It isn’t.
3
well put and well said. The fact is that there are 50 Muslim Majority countries in the World, There are over 64 Christian majority countries in the World. There is only 1 majority Jewish country in the World.... just 1 and it is the size of New Jersey. Zionism is the belief that the Jewish people are entitled to their one homeland where they can exercise self determination. This, after thousands of years of programs, expulsions, discrimination, torture, enforced ghettoization and a holocaust in which 1/2 of all the Jewish people then living were murdered. All if this because they were outsiders, where they had no place of refuge where they could go. Now they have such a place. The anti zionists say no, despite the tragic history of the Jewish people, they are not entitled to even the one small country that they have.
Brett is so right. This issue cannot be looked at in a vacuum. In the real World Under the current circumstances and the of history of what happened to the Jewish people when they did not have a homeland...Its an irrefutable conclusion that Anti-Zionism is Anti-Semitism.
Criticism of the Israel government is not necessarily anti-Semitic, but denying Israel's right to exist as a Jewish State is Anti-Semitic.
13
You want to tamp down anti-zionism? Get your boots off Palestinian throats.
Not that that's going to happen. Israel has made it clear to anyone who's paying attention that it wants the land and the water, and they just haven't yet figured out what to do with the two million indigenous people who are in the way.
4
@Slideguy
Surprise! Jews defend themselves now.
5
@Slideguy
Arabs are ‘indigenous’ to the Arabian Peninsula, hence the name.
3
Perhaps the most salient comment that can cut either way depending on ones allegiance in this interminable conflict is from Clytemnestra on Agamemnon.
" The hateful are hated is that so strange."
1
If I accept the existence of the State of Israel within boundaries established under international law, but I do not accept the expansion of Israel beyond those boundaries, am I anti-Zionist? .... anti-semitic? Too much deceptive fog for my liking
5
@Greg Exactly what boundaries are you referring to? That of Jordan and Israel along the Jordan river and/or that of Egypt and Israel on the west side of Gaza? 'Cause no other boundaries exist as defined by peace treaties, which defined the boundaries of Jordan/Israel and Egypt/Israel. And what other boundaries have been imposed by outsiders, that is your ill-defined "international law"?
3
@pak
For me I would prefer the boundaries established by the UN in 1948, but I'm prepared to accept the 1967 ceasefire lines. However, it's not for me to choose. Nor is it for the Israelis or Palestinians to choose.
The UN established Israel. The UN must confirm, once and for all, the legal boundaries of the State of Israel.
3
Hezbollah is digging tunnels under the Israeli wall. Trump should take note. That wall looks pretty good, but still vulnerable.
1
The historical fact that seems to be the elephant in the room of the Zionist hysterical dismissal of a unified Israeli-Palestinian state, secular and democratic, is that Israel today exists because of the Allied victors of WW II.
Had the creation of today’s Zionist Israel, as a state of, for and by Jews, depended only on the efforts of Polish Jewish terrorists and the Diaspora, there would still be a Palestine.
It took the diplomatic and economic support of the Allies, including Russia, that brought about the destruction of Palestine and the creation and United Nations recognition of Israel.
Imagine, if you will, what would have happened had the Allies supported Palestinian resistance to Menachem Begin and David Ben Gurion’s led expeditions to defeat the Arab defense of Palestine?
Only the Allies and Russia can now impose a just peace between Palestinians, in and out of Israel, and Israeli Jews. With time living together in a unified, internationally policed state, both disarmed Jews and disarmed Arabs can live together in peace for long enough until they can live together and police themselves. Within that unified state of Jews and Arabs living together in legal equality, there surely would be room for an exclusive Jewish state in Jerusalem like Rome’s Vatican in Italy.
2
On one talking-point, the 'expulsion' of North-African and Iraqi Jews in the 1950s, which some comments have presented as justification for Israeli settlement policy. Tit for tat? It's surprising to see that old chestnut. When did Israel demand that its Iraqi Jews be shipped back to Iraq?Answer: never. Settlers, settlers, settlers. The grand flare of Jewish-Arab expulsion was lit _after_ the Arab defeat of 1948, not before, and it was a collapse of pan-Arab identity more than any anti-Semitism. Not new: the French empire had tried to hive the Jews from the Arabs in their colonial regions, esp. Algeria. Jews were ordered not to fraternize with Arabs, not to speak Arab (their native tongue) and not to dress as "natives." No, the Algerian nationalists did not invent that. In terms of North Africa and esp. Iraq, Zionist refugee camps in the 1950s stipulated that refugees had to settle in Jewish Palestine, and had to commit to military service. Otherwise, they could go nowhere. It's not as if population manipulation was invented by Arabs; in 1945, the Czechs expelled the German-speakers from Czechoslovakia-- just one modern example.
2
Anne Frank, bald and emaciated, died of typhus at the age of 16 at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Her sister Margot, also suffering from typhus, died when she fell out of a bunk adjacent to Anne's. She was so weak that the fall killed her. This is all that need be said to explain why Israel must exist as a Jewish state.
4
And how about zionist drones over your house? I don't need to tell you who has the highest body-count in this conflict, and until that contest ends there's going to be hard feelings. That those feelings also manifest in coffee house spats is a lesser concern.
Another op-ed piece by a former editor of the Jerusalem Post, a right wing Israeli newspaper. Israel has moved far to the right since Ben Gurion, their first PM and since I worked at the Weizmann Institute of Science shortly before the 7 day war. They currently have a PM who, like our President, is facing major corruption charges... Poland had, by far, the largest Jewish population in Europe . The Bund, a Jewish socialist organization formed there and was anti-Zionist. There are still many Israelis who are anti-Zionist and support a one State solution. Tony Judt, a prominent Jewish historian, strongly supported a one state solution. Unfortunately many rabid American Jews have migrated to Israel in the last 30 or forty years. Many have settled in the west bank and become rabid Zionists. Aided and abetted by American Evangelicals the Zionists have done little to ameliorate religious and racial tensions in Israel. Just as time eroded and displaced white power in Africa and Asia, it will also erode Zionist power in Israel. The Israeli's need to understand that demographics are not on their side and act to gradually and peacefully embrace a more accommodative stance towards the Palestinians.
3
Mr. Stephens' columns have a tiresome sameness to them. It's somewhat akin to painting by the numbers.
Point with pride. View with alarm. Toss in a "feckless" and parade Louis Farrakhan and David Duke around the fairgrounds. If Obama didn't have such good poll numbers Stephens would take a cheap shot there or, at least, at Rev. Wright.
I'm surprised Sheldon Adelson hasn't gotten tired of Stephens by
now.
I miss Roger Cohen. He speaks from the heart and the gut. And,
one other thing, he speaks the truth.
2
Just imagine reading this piece to a bunch of school children in Gaza. Ethnic nationalism is a discredited ideology.
3
The kids in Gaza that you refer to have been taught for over 70 years that Jews are the ‘descendants of apes and pigs’...they’ve been taught at the age of 3 to aspire to martyrdom by killing Jews, that Jews are evil and that Jews have no connection to this region of the world.
4
Unfortunately, the word Zionism has become a polarizing word, so that one is either a Zionist or an anti-Zionist, which is as meaningless as saying one is pro-Israel or anti-Israel or, for example, pro -Italy or anti-Italy. Criticizing or praising a country's policies as articulated by a particular administration, does not mean that one must adopt a "for or against" stance toward that nation in general. "O, thou that tellest good tidings to Zion" is from Isaiah and is incorporated into a well-known chorus from Handel's Messiah, sung quite often at this time of year.
Israel is a state not a religion. It's leader is a politician not a pope. It's capital is not the Vatican. When people criticize Israel for its policies they are not necessarily attacking Judaism or Jews. They are attacking the colonialism and apartheid policies of a country that uses religious arguments to justify building settlements in the West Bank, subjugating and occupying Palestine while denying the occupied population basic human rights. This is a political situation. The Israeli lobby works hard to conflate any criticism of Israel as an attack on Jews themselves and some attacks are but there are also anti-Semites who support Israel. Think many Evangelical Christians. So, to criticize Israel or to stand against its expansionist policies or to support BDS is not necessarily to stand against Jews. Rather many in these movements are standing for human dignity and civil rights for all peoples including Jews.
4
How about we wake up and smell the 21st century and stop having trying to have ethno states? Or laws based on a beliefs in some mythical, supernatural, nonsense?
3
@Michael OK then! I'll assume that you are also willing to see the Arab states gone with their mythical, supernatural, nonsensical nationalistic and religious natures. Or will you lose interest after Israel is gone? Yes, I know this is whataboutism, but I'm just asking for a friend.
6
Good piece Brett. A great contrast with Michelle Goldberg's recent ode to the endless progressive bashing of Israel and Zionism.
6
"Anti-Zionism" and "anti-semitism" are 2 cloaks used to protect on-going criminal activity. The criminality must be laid bare for all to see.
When the State of Israel accepts international law and the concept of human rights ....... when Israel can walk proudly without deceptive cloaks .......then we can have true justice and true peace.
2
Whenever the topic in the Times is Israel there is a torrent of comments making the same stale arguments on both sides of the issue. I don’t want to add to this but would like to make a simple point about the Israeli argument that the Palestinians “don’t recognize Israel’s right to exist.” This is basically true, but it is also true that Israel does not recognize a right for a Palestinian state to exist, particularly among the Netanyahu faction—they have admitted as much. The official Israeli tourist map shows everything from the Jordan to the Mediterranean as “Israel.” Palestinian areas are small pink enclaves footnoted as under control of the Palestinian authority. In other words, the situation is stalemated from both sides. It seems to me that both sides prefer this status quo, wishfully believing that at some future time—which could be decades or more—the advantage will shift their way and they can move to resolve the situation—hopefully not by total annihilation of the other side. In light of the extreme volatility of the current Middle East, this seems an unadvisable position for both sides. In my opinion, the sooner they act the better the end result is likely to be. I hope this view doesn’t qualify me as an anti-Semite.
2
Thank you for rebutting the folly of your colleague Michelle Goldberg—without naming her. Sadly, too many young and liberal Jews in the United States fail to realize that their Jewish anti-Zionist voices give legitimacy to anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism.
When Jews in France, Belgium and the UK are contemplating an escape from extremist Muslims and from the possible future PM of the UK (Mr.Corbyn)—they see Israel as their possible sanctuary, This is reality!! I am grateful to the Times for having recruited you to the paper. You are a lonely voice countering the anti-Israel bias of reporting in the Times from Israel and the Middle East and from columnists like Michelle Goldberg.
15
I sometimes wonder that the only thing that separates Israeli right wingers from Arab terrorist is the quality of their killing weapons and who occupies the land. Given Israel’s founding and subsequent history I find it difficult to get behind either of the conflicted parties. I once admired Israel but then my love of history got in the way. The Palestine area is rife with ugly history. From the genocide of the Old Testement, Assyrians, Babylonians, Romans, Maccabees, Crusaders, Saladin, Ottomans, British occupation, Zionists land grab, to Hezbollah this small area turns all who reside there ugly.
3
Yes, those that want to erase Israel and kill the Jews that live there are anti-Semitic.
No, opposing Israeli government policy is not anti-Semetic. (By the way, Palestinians are also Semites who converted to Islam, so hating Palestinians is also anti-Semetic.)
The main obstacle to peace is religious conservatives in all three branches of Judaism (the other two being Islam and Christianity) who constantly want to make war against, and terrorize each other, getting the rest of us caught in the crossfire. Most people want peace, but right wing zealots keep blowing people up.
The Israeli government has killed the two-state solution, because they refuse to offer Palestinians a viable state. When another country controls your borders, waterways, hill tops, and highways, you are not a state, but a reservation, and that is what the Israelis offer as a Palestinian "state." The Israeli government imposes apartheid, then complains Palestinians turn it down.
Israel must choose democracy over total Jewish control. The occupied territories have been effectively annexed. Make it official and erase the internal border. Give all residents full citizenship.
A Tri-Presidency, with one president from each religion, each with veto power would be a way to avoid one group from abusing the other legislatively, It would cause gridlock for a while, but eventually they would find a way to get things done.
The Semites can fight each other to the death, with our help, or they can make peace.
1
So Nasrallah and Hezbollah are terrorists, hate all Jews, want to destroy Israel. They are building tunnels to kill Israelis. They have an arsenal of rockets aimed at Israel. Allied with Iran, existential threat to Israel. They are anti-Zionist and anti-Semitic. Per Stephens, if you are anti-Zionist, you are automatically anti-Semitic. In fact, being anti-Zionist is worse than being anti-Semitic only in terms of its consequences to Israelis and all Jews. Anyone who associates with Hezbollah is, of course, an anti-Semite.
Hezbollah has roots in the Lebanese Civil War, but is more directly an outcome of Israel invading Lebanon in 1978 and in 1982 - to drive the PLO out from South Lebanon. Hezbollah became a force by driving Israel out. Israel did not want to lose more soldiers and take casualties and withdrew, making Hezbollah the first and only Arab force to defeat Israel.
In the 2006 Israel Lebanon War, Israel had 10,000 soldiers that peaked to 30,000 soldiers at the end of the war against about 500 Hezbollah fighters. Israel blinked, refused to fight 500 Hezbollah fighters with tens of thousand of soldiers and one of best equipped militaries in the world. Israel instead bombed Beirut, Hezbollah headquarters, where the Lebanese civilians who had fled Southern Lebanon took refuge. Israeli cowardice - refusal to risk ground troops casualties. Easier to bomb civilians.
Israel - take out Nasrallah and Hezbollah, Hamas and Iran.
Stop being cowards. Fight your own wars.
5
A worthy riposte to the naïve, ahistorical sloganeering and the desire to elevate lefty ideological purity over human lives evidenced in Goldberg's column last week.
7
Israel has recently finished shooting (with live ammunition) 4000 mostly unarmed protesters inside Gaza. About 200 were dispatched to their deaths, and several hundred more were rendered quadriplegic and paraplegic. There the pretext is the savages and cryto-Nazis, the Hamasniks.
I'm old enough to remember when it was Mahmoud Abbas and the PLO terrorists who were the boggey-men justifying Israel's subjugation and repression. And please, spare me the "generous offer" narrative, and Israel's Arab Supreme Court justice. Mr. Stephens, after 50 years of occupation, come up with some new pretexts!
5
@Marek Edelman So exactly what land was the PLO in 1964 when it was formed trying to liberate? Certainly not the west bank or Gaza, which is what the PLO told Jordan and Egypt then, respectively.
3
So, anti Zionists are not for the elimination of Jews, just the elimination of Israel as a Jewish state (in which other religions also live)? The result? Muslims would then be a majority and we all know how peaceful (even with each other) and democratic those countries are. Democracy? Can you really be so naive? Are you a female? A Jew or Christian or any other religion aside from Muslim? Gay? Care to live in Saudi Arabia? Egypt? Iran? Yemen? Lebanon? Iraq? Oman? Sudan? Etc., etc. Good luck!!
7
All those talking about how Jews are mistreating Palestinians ignore the fact that most of the refugees are kept in refugee camps in squalor in neighboring Arab countries while Arab Israelis have full citizenship rights and are not living behind any walls or fences. They also choose to ignore the 850,000 Jews (now also millions if you count their descendants) who were forced to become refugees from many neighboring Arab countries after Israel became a state in 1948 but who then eventually moved on with their lives. Hamas and the Palestinian Authority leaders are the ones who can assure that the billions of dollars in humanitarian aid given over the years actually goes to the Palestinians and to building up Gaza and the West Bank instead of being diverted into lining their own pockets and building tunnels into Israel. One can disagree with the Netanyahu government or talk about different peace solutions, etc. but none of that has anything to do with the definition of anti-Zionism which is the desire to see Israel no longer exist.
17
We don't have to speculate what a Palestinian regime would look like. We have two functioning right now -- the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Hamas-ruled Gaza. They're corrupt authoritarian strongholds, as is the rest of the Middle East with the exception of Israel. Those who advocate one government over all the land from Jordan to the sea need to take these living examples of Palestinian rule into account.
13
There's probably no greater example of the harmful effects of fixed beliefs than the present standoff between the Palestinians and Jews. Throughout the ages, there have been countless wars waged between differing belief factions, and these continue today around the globe. If we fail to see the harm in all fixed beliefs, millions more will die needlessly before we finally blow ourselves up. If the human species is to end this tragic practice of beliefs, there will need to be a paradigm shift in human thought. It won't be quick, and it won't be easy; but if we are to end our insanity, we must rid ourselves of fixed beliefs.
In the near future, we will program the human mind in the computer based on a linguistic "survival" algorithm, which will provide irrefutable proof as to how we trick the mind with our ridiculous beliefs about what is supposed to survive - producing minds programmed de facto for destruction. These minds would see the survival of a particular group of people or a belief as more important than the survival of all. When we understand all this, we will begin the long trek back to reason and sanity.
See RevolutionOfReason.com
An interesting argument from a conservative. Let's apply the same logic to restricting the vote through voter id laws, roll purging, and gerrymandering. Racist or Republican? In theory they are distinct. In reality, another story.
The year before Israel became a State by UN vote, the country of Pakistan was created by Great Britain and India. They carved out land from India and created Pakistan. Millions of people were uprooted in both India and the new Pakistan. Upwards of one million were killed because of this decision.
But no one questions the existence of Pakistan today, created just one year before Israel and not on behalf of an international vote, but rather because of two countries declaring it thus.
Why the discrepancy? Pakistan must be a better world citizen than Israel. Or Israel makes no contributions to world betterment. Or 2 countries carving out a new one must have greater depth of reason than an international vote of two state creation.
Oh yes, there were 2 states created when Israel became a state. Did you forget that? An Arab state and a Jewish state. Why is there no Arab state today?
Because the Jews declared war on the new Arab State and would not tolerate living next door?
8
@erodg "Because the Jews declared war on the new Arab State and would not tolerate living next door?" Just to clarify as some that comment here frequently would answer incorrectly but at great length, that the answer to the question is no. But it is factual that five Arab nations declared war on the new state of Israel.
5
This is not a debate about Israeli policy or what the borders of Israel should or should not be. Nor is this a debate about what policies Israel should or should not adopt with respect to the Palestinians. This is a column about hatred to the point that some people are calling with the end of a State of Israel. Since Israelis are not likely to voluntarily agree to that proposition, it is inherently a call for their annihilation. And if that isn't the same as anti-Semitism, I don't know what is. Thank you Bret Stephens. You are spot on in your analysis.
9
@Kevin Katske
KEVIN are you aware that there are substantial numbers of Jews do not accept the existence of the State of Israel. Are they anti-semitic?
2
"What's worse: To be denied membership in a country club because you're Jewish, or driven from your ancestral homeland and sovereign state for the same reason?".
Bret if you could be objective, could you see yourself asking the same question, but change the word "Jewish" to one of the groups of indigenous people displaced from their "ancestral homeland and sovereign state" by the Hebrews, with help from their god, like the ; Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perrizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites? But you cannot be objective, can you Bret, eh?
3
So I get that Anti-Zionists can’t know anything because they are not physically there. But what about the innocent Palestinian children who live in squalor in an apartheid state blocked from a decent life. Where is their Op-Ed? Who cares about their house?
If you want to make your bed with the American far right, with avatars like Jared Kushner and Donald Trump, we’ll see how that turns out for the Zionism brand that you are defending.
If you see people running and yelling fire, it’s
not crazy to assume there is heat nearby. Israel, who had the superior military and wealth, has to be the one to offer a constructive hand — make Jerusalem a world city as it was for ages, protected and governed by all nations. Israel has to become a multi-ethnic state, perhaps under control of the same UN body.
2
Anti-Zionism is almost always anti-Semitism. Palestinian children are taught by their elders and schools to hate and demonize Jews.
How many readers tried living with rockets and bombs coming over, and tunnels boring into your country, not for people to escape through, but for people to harm you.
8
The rule makers have decided that criticizing a Muslim or Islam is Islamaphobia. Criticizing women is sexist. Blacks, racist. Gays, homophobia.
But to criticize Israel, enlightened and moral.
It's good to be the ones making the rules.
7
2 sides claim the right to the same land.
One side says it is willing to share with the other side, and though it has the capability to destroy the other side, it chooses not to.
The other side is not willing to share, and says if it had the capability, it would destroy the other side.
11
@jeremy smith
The thief is willing to share with the victim. Not in my book!
The victim has every right to fight the thief. UN Resolution 3314 provides the Palestinians the right to resist the illegal occupation of their lands and the abuse of their human rights, AND by all means at their disposal.
2
One is not a thief if they’ve had a 3000 year uninterrupted presence in the same region. In the Middle Ages, there were Jewish cities in the north, like Zefat, that numbered in the thousands. Besides, for 1200 years under Arab rule, the area known today as Israel, was a backwater, totally ignored by the authorities. Jerusalem was not even designated as a provincial capital. Many of the so called Palestinians (they were simply called Arabs back then) in the early 1900s were recent arrivals due to the eradication of the malaria swamps by the early zionists, in the area, thereby making economic opportunities more available. It’s good to know the history before you start making accusations.
4
Bret goes back 44 years to offer examples of 63 Zionists murdered by Palestinians. How far back would he have to go to find examples of 63 Palestinians murdered by Zionists?
11
@Jeff Atkinson: Israelis were killed yesterday and on Tuesday ...
6
About the same amount of time to find the same number of Israelites killed by Palestinians.
1
@Jeff Atkinson
Israelis ‘defend’. They do not murder.
3
And has Zionism been so good to Palestinians that they should embrace it?
2
@Thinking California
And was dhimmitude so good to the Jews that they should embrace it?
3
Brett, you are wrong to smear a political position with a racial one. This illegitimate mash-up foments the racism you detest.
Israel has nothing to do with Judaism. This is not the era of only one temple in the land stolen by the Jews so long ago. In fact, reading will tell that they not only stole the land, but massacred the prior inhabitants. It is a terrible conceit to think any god gave anyone the right to massacre and steal from others. The "Jewish state" is that conceit. No less abhorrent is the Muslim claim. Separate the three: race, religion and the state. Just like the country you live in, imperfect though it may be due to people like you.
5
“Israelis haven’t succumbed to the fatal illusion that, if only they behaved better, their enemies would hate them less.”
Israel’s enemies will only hate them less if Israel is no longer in existence. Then, the anti-Zionists will revert to the good, old-fashioned Jew hatred that is present in many countries even when no Jews live in them.
13
Why would Israel concede anything to its enemies?
10
Anti-Zionism is not antisemitism. If we reject the mythology that is the Old Testament, then we can firmly reject the odd notion that property rights devolve out of political conditions that occurred 22 centuries ago. If this same illogic were applied to Europe or elsewhere in the Middle East, political and ethnic chaos would destroy whole societies. We are browbeaten into making the false choice to ostracize one group or the other. Both have occupied the same territory for an amount of time. Both have history. Both deserve to live in a civil society where rights and liberties are respected and protected. Does might make right? Can you force people to live in abject poverty and hopelessness because they are not of your clan? Can that be supported morally? THAT is why anti-Zionism exists. No one has the right to persecute one people for the sake of another people.
4
Let's take your muddling of terms out of this.
1 - Terror organizations that want to eliminate Israel or kill or terrorize the Israeli public are wrong and should be condemned.
2 - Any nation or group advocating for eliminating Israel should also be condemned.
But
1 - Any nation seizing other people's homes and property and land outside their recognized border, in order to settle more of "their" people, should face condemnation for that behavior, too.
That some Zionists see a promise from God to give them extensive and sole rights to land that has been "ancestral homeland" to countless groups over the last few thousand years is a problem that will, unchecked, continue fueling the worse behavior on the other side. God's land rights are not valid grants in the secular world, especially in an area that is so fractious, tribal and fragmented that the neighboring Lebanon has to dole out government roles to different ethnic/religious groups.
That Israel is a thriving sort-of democracy is swell. That they're trying to be a democratic AND Jewish state, AND expand into where other people are living is not a recipe for success. Some justice gets trampled.
I can't wait for petroleum to become worthless and see how that affects the Arab and Persian enablers funding hate against Israel, but Israel sometimes feeds the flame too, and I'm not an anti-Semite or anti-Israel person to say that. I've got a wish that Israel and Palestine thrive together, however they decide a border.
As a Jew it offends me that non-Jews have such vehement opinions on Israel, and even that they have any opinion at all. I don't need an American, a non-Jew no less, telling me the difference between anti-Zionism and Antisemitism. I know what the difference is most of the time these days- zero. Yeah, that's right- zero. Because those same people who demonize Israel will say derogatory things about Jewish communities in the U.S., or a rabbinical council or the Orthodox living here. For them, its Jew hate. That's the common thread, it's never good enough, and its always and ultimately, the fault of the Jew.
As for my fellow liberal Jews who criticize Israel, you have that right. But you only have that right because of Israel's existence. Trust me, the two are not only connected, you survive, and thrive, from it.
Louis Farrakhan often told others that the Nation of Islam's business was theirs alone and for others to kindly butt out. Ditto on Israel. Ditto to you Mr. Stephens.
6
@Martin X Uhh, Stephens is a Jewish American and not, by the political standards of our time, either an anti-Zionist or a liberal.
2
Lest we forget that Trump called some Neo-nazi/KKK demonstrators in South Carolina "good people". Why does the Prime Minister of Israel embrace him?
3
I take Bret's point to be that if I don't think the Netanyahu government should forcibly dispossess a Palestinian family from property that has been in their family for many generations, that means I hate Jews and love Hezbollah.
3
Zionism, like all ideologies, comes in many forms. Zionists include founders of international Human Rights institutions/laws: Lauterpacht crafted influential drafts of the Israeli Declaration of Independence, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights; Lemkin, responsible for the word “genocide” and the U.N. Genocide Convention; Benenson, founder of Amnesty International. Zionists include Labor Zionists and true heroes Ben-Gurion, Meir, Rabin (war hero, PM, peace maker, demagogued as a traitor by Netanyahu, and assassinated by Zionist extremist). But Revisionist Zionists also include Jabotinsky (terrorist), Stern (terrorist; tried twice to ally with Nazis - still celebrated in Israel), Begin (Irgun terrorist, PM, Nobel Peace Prize winner) and Shamir (Stern Gang terrorist, PM, Netanyahu’s mentor) - that produced Likud, Netanyahu, that wanted Eretz Israel (from Nile to Euphrates), that each day drives Israel towards an ethnocracy/theocracy and away from a democracy. Right-wing Israel is allies with Trump’s America and Putin’s Russia, allies with anti-Semites in Europe (Orban et al) vilifying Soros and America (Charlottesville KKK, neo Nazis, Breitbart, Evangelicals) and virulently anti-Semitic Saudi Wahhabism. Ethno-nationalism, anti-democracy, a Wall, anti-refugee, shoot/kill unarmed people at border, Muslims as terrorists, lies, hate.
So one can support many forms of Zionism, oppose Netanyahu’s Zionism and not be an anti-Semite.
3
So are you an anti-Semite if:
You support Orban who openly admires Hungarian leader who led Nazi-aligned government during WWII, whose government makes repeated anti-Semitic tropes about Hungarian born Jewish billionaire Soros controlling the world - the Hungarian Jewish community is appalled/protests, the Israeli Ambassador protests, but Netanyahu government tells own Ambassador to stand down and supports Orban instead.
You support other ethno-nationalist goverments or groups, most overtly anti-Semitic, in Europe and around the world.
You support Breitbart - that is platform for alt-right, white nationalists, regular anti-Semitic attacks on liberal Jews (75% of American Jews).
You support Evangelical Pastors “Jews are going to Hell” Jeffress and “Bible made clear that Hitler and the Holocaust — when six million Jews were killed — were part of God’s plan to return Jews to Israel“ Hagee. Jeffress gave opening prayer and Hagee the closing benediction at US Embassy opening in Jerusalem.
You support Saudi Arabia, whose Wahhabism (even post MBS fake reforms) is virulently anti-Semitic.
You support US Ambassador to Israel “J Street worse than Kapos” Friedman. Provide cover for Trump saying there are “very fine people” among Neo-Nazis/Klan at Charlottesville. Trump calling refugees, like the ones HIAS helps, invaders being helped by Jewish billionaire Soros.
Stephens redefines anti-Semitism as criticism of Netanyahu’s Israel, not any of the above.
So who is the real anti-Semite?
3
Uh, Bret, the Arabs ARE semites.
3
@Hans Uh Hans, but prejudice against/hatred of Arabs (and for that matter Ethiopians who also speak a Semitic language) is not anti-semitism, only prejudice against/hatred of Jews is. Arabs and Ethiopians have nothing to do with the dictionary and accepted definition of "anti-semitism," and you and your fellow travelers will never make it so.
3
What a shallow and misleading article full of straw men the author dutifully goes about knocking down. As if anyone who is anti-Zionist must be calling for the destruction of Israel. It's like trying to define the Republican party by Nazi extremists. These blindly pro-Israel people really are having to twist themselves into some strange postures these days to offer justification for Israel's immoral and utterly unjustifiable treatment of Palestinians. Call them the Pretzel People of Zion.
3
Right on! I was once at a dinner where a woman went on VERY LOUDLY that all the Arabs want to do is push the Jews into the sea. She was as right as could be. The Nazi Final Solution. Uh, to what? Jews? They just worship God. It doesn't have to be a win/lose. Either Christ or Muhammad or nothing. It's about God!!!!
And she was yelling at an Arab no less.
No one from the outside can eliminate Israel, so that philosophizing about our enemies, their utterances and intentions, is a pure and 'unhelpful' waste of time. Nonetheless, Zionism is far from secured. In fact, its future is more and more questionable as time goes by.
The most dangerous anti-zionists are the Israeli settlers and their caddies in the government. They, and no one else, will finish Zionism off by creating, albeit very slowly and cautiously, the Greater Israel, a one state between the sea and the river, with a discriminated minority of few millions Palestinians.
4
1-Exact same article could be written from the other side, using quotes from (extremist?) Israeli politicians:
- 'There are no innocents in Gaza,' says Israeli defense minister, April 2018
- Israel’s Minister of Education says “I’ve killed lots of Arabs in my life – and there’s no problem with that.”, 2013
And so on and so forth.
2-Definition of Zionism is: expansion of Israel. So Anti-Zionism is anti-expansion, not anti-Israel.
3- Yes Antisemitism is racism and yes it is different from anti-Zionism.
This article is intellectually dishonest and on the level of what some of the mentioned Arab leaders say. Sorry you do not have the higher moral ground Mr Stephens.
Ball to the center, this is a despicable draw!
3
Jews lived in historic Palestine from time immemorial as well. They were in a small minority by the end of the nineteenth century. Some Jews purchased land from Arab landowners and began settlements. More and more Jews came. More and more land was sold to the Jews. There was great political conflict; both Jews and Arabs were divided amongst themselves. The Jews in the end came together in a united front; the Arabs did not, and by '48 the UN voted for two separate states. We know what happened after that. What is wrong, actually, with Jewish immigration anywhere? Had there not been such strong opposition to the early Jewish settlements, who knows, perhaps the two groups could have coexisted in some kind of federation. Unlikely, but possible. The narrative that Jews came in and took the land is fiction, however.
6
No point in refuting all these accusations, none of which have to do with anti-Zionism. Better to read about a new University of Maryland poll which suggests that Americans are wising up. The same percent that favors a two-state solution, favors a single democratic state "from the river to the sea". And among young people support for ODS is even higher.
https://mondoweiss.net/2018/12/groundbreaking-american-democratic/
3
I hope this column was written in response to Michelle Goldberg's misguided column last week. Bret Stephens has succinctly and articulately shown that Ms. Goldberg is dangerously naive (or perhaps worse, although I care to think not). Kudos to Mr. Stephens for setting the record straight.
6
I’m for the Zionism that created Israel and protects it, it’s houses and it’s people within its borders. I am against the Zionism that builds new settlements in Palestinian areas in violation of international agreements, not only tunneling under other people’s houses but sometimes bulldozing those houses. See https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/israel-settlement-expansion-1000-new-homes-palestinian-land-robert-fisk-wheres-the-outrage-a8504471.html . Zionism is a plan for the creation of a nation, which in its original form I support and celebrate. Judaism is a religion and an identity. Conflating the two makes it impossible to critique Zionism without being accused of anti-semitism. But of course, that conflation is what Mr. Stephens wants,
3
@Mike Colllins no. the conflation is what happens when ill- informed people, who are anti-Israel, share their opinions about Israel. Please take it from me- I too share your well articulated for/against opinion about Zionism, however too many times when discussing Israel with non-Jewish people, the conversation often veers into a total condemnation of "Jews" as a whole, and continues with some tried and true classic anti Semetic rhetoric. As a Black Jew I find this happening most in certain "progressive" circles where the premise that racism is deeply embedded in the fabric of our nation is accepted as a unassailable truth and is not tolerated on an overt or casual level. Unfortunately this philosophy and approach does not extend beyond American borders- especially when talking about Israel. Anti Jewish language is widely used and accepted. Does it mean that any criticism of Israel is anti-Semetic? NO! but the condemnations I have heard rarely frame the argument in terms of government or policy, and instead condemn JEWS. So to dismiss Israel's concerns about bigoted rhetoric coming from both its enemies AND anti-Zionist factions world-wide is not facing reality. Until people other than Jews can consider the real presence & danger of anti-Semitism when imagining a future for the region, Israel will continue to react defensively and with force. And I, despite my personal dislike of much of what the current regime is doing to the Palestinians, will understand the logic.
5
The State of Israel now controls all of Mandatory Palestine, or effectively all of it. The Israelis have made it painfully and fully obvious that they're not going to give any part of it up, and that there will never be an independent Palestinian state. So Israel should end the occupation, annex the West Bank, and grant equal rights and equal citizenship to everyone who is subject to the writ of the state. Either that, or quit calling itself "the only democracy in the Middle East."
4
@Steve
Let’s not pretend that an Arab country called Jordan doesn’t occupy 80% of the former Ottoman territory aka ‘Palestine’. A map of Mandatory Palestine circa 1920 would be helpful.
4
Every argument for the Israeli and Palestinian points of view, including this one, seems to require listing the awful things the other side has done -- without once mentioning the awful things one's own side has done. Yes there are people in Hezbollah willing to kill any Israeli they can. Horrible. But there are also horrible people in Israel, willing to steal land from Palestinians and deny them rights and citizenship merely for being Palestinian. In a very different way, also horrible.
US policy supports one of those.
4
This is tiresome. The recitation of atrocities committed by Arabs against Israelis can easily be balanced off by equal or far worse atrocities committed by Israel (or its progenitors) against Arabs (the Deir Yassin Massacre, the 1947 ethnic cleansing of Palestine, the 1982 invasion of Lebanon that gave birth to Hezbollah, the Gaza Wars of the 2000s etc.) The reality that Israel and all of its supporters must wrestle with is that Israel was created on land already occupied by another people. It was only by driving those people off their land that Israel was possible. Even if a person believes that creating Israel was an imperative, it should not be hard to understand why the displaced Arab population of Palestine should feel differently. Israel has refused to face this original injustice inherent in its creation. More, it has compounded that injustice by building illegal settlements on what little is left of Palestine, effectively annexing the remainder. These actions mean that Israel is founded on an injustice it refuses to admit and a continuing violence that it tries to justify behind the cloak of victimhood. Given these realities, it is certainly legitimate to question the principles and ideas of the nationalist movement, i.e., Zionism, that tries to justify all of this. To Palestinians, none of this is academic or the province of comfortable supporters of Israel. It is their reality of suffering and it must be acknowledged that this is the cost of Zionism.
9
@Shaun Narine Best, truest comment ever -- certainly on this page.
2
As an addendum to Mr. Stephens' apt column, and as another retort to Ms. Goldberg's previous and pernicious piece, I want to remind all that the subjects at which hatred is directed are entitled to define it. Concretely, Jews define what antisemitism is just as Africans, Latinos, and LGBTQ+ communities legitimately define racism, homophobia, etc. Sure, we can point to marginal outliers such as Michelle Goldberg and boutique organizations whom I'd rather not name here as examples of Jewish anti-Zionists. The global Jewish community (Klal Yisrael), however, overwhelmingly includes anti-Zionism as a form of antisemitism, and ignoring that is in fact an expression of hatred - antisemistism!
6
Bret - Find another term you can live with if you don't care for 'anti-Zionist'. Disagreeing with, or disapproving of, certain policies and actions of the Israeli government, and Netanyahu in particular, does not qualify as anti-Zionist or anti-Semitic.
2
The State of Israel was formed in 1948, but prior to that pogroms by Arabs were common even as the Jews had lived on their ancestral lands for centuries upon centuries. The basis of today's issues reside in very long standing hatred with genocide as the operative method. Jews had no choice but to form self defense forces (Irgun, Stern gang, and now the IDF) or else they would never have survived IN THEIR HOMELAND. The Palestinians could have had peace and their own state many times over, but refused as it meant that Israel would have to remain as the nation state for the Jewish people. Gaza, with its precious sea coast, was returned to the Palestinians. Instead of creating a vibrant state it became an armed Hamas camp who has no other goal than Israel's destruction. Think of what Israel has brought to the world (cell phones, 3-D printing of human organs, revolutionary cancer treatments, etc.) vs Palestinian jihad and worldwide terrorism. The actual answer seems obvious, but the onslaught of PR of the BDS movement (and
others of its ilk) shifts the narrative to making Jews the villains. Israel is the frontline in a battle for humanity. Being against Israel is bad for all of us.
6
Some of the opinions voiced here are breathtaking, particularly from East Coast armchair Jews. One of my best was that Hezbollah wouldn't exist if Jews behaved better, and I'm going to do my personal best in that regard to try that in 2019. But the person who put his finger on it was the one who said "where is the Palestinian Nelson Mandela?" To which the answer is there is none, and if there was he would not be in power very long. Most Anti-Zionist, Support-Israel's-right-to-exist-but-not-its-behavior, and plain anti-Semites focus on Israel's alleged crimes, which are in any event in the universe of state crime are quite mild ( you do know don't you that Palestinian children are not massacred and that there is no genocide), but the obvious reason why there had been no accord is pretty obvious to anybody, although I may be being too generous in saying that. The Palestinian leadership has never negotiated in good faith. Its non negotiable demands are designed to be rejected : back to indefensible borders, return of millions of so called refugees, ability to build an army on the borders of Israel as a Gaza type stage for continuing the Jihad. Nobody can ignore the fact that when they talk about occupied Palestine they don't just mean the West Bank ( do you also know that Gaza is not occupied), they mean to include the legal sovereign state of Israel, hence the march of return. More honest leadership could have led its people forward instead of into futile backward terrorism.
6
@Sydney Kayd There actually is one who is referred to as "the Palestinian Mandela," and that is Marwan Barghouthi, probably the most popular figure amongst Palestinians of all factions. He could bring them together in common cause, except for the fact that he's been imprisoned by Israel for many years now. Despite that, many people see him as a possible successor to Mahmoud Abbas.
1
He may be able to bring the Arabs together under the banner of destroying Israel ( because that is his policy) but unlike Mandela, who never incited his followers to kill whites, he would never be able to bring Palestinians and Israelis together because the Israelis have rejected national suicide as a policy.
3
I'm a Jewish anti-Zionist. My cousin, who survived the Warsaw Ghetto, was an anti-Zionist. He once recounted to me a conversation he had around 1950 with a friend who supported Zionism. My cousin asked the obvious question: "What about the Arabs?" The response, in a mystical tone: "They don't have the same connection to the land as we do." My cousin thought that was insane, which is why he didn't support Zionism. It required kicking hundreds of thousands of people off their land, and no argument about an ancient connection to the land could justify that.
Unsurprisingly, the author of this article doesn't explain why Hezbollah exists. It exists because Israel invaded and occupied Lebanon for 20 years. Hezbollah helped kick Israel out. When Israel invaded again in 2006, Hezbollah held off the IDF.
Israel was founded by a massive act of ethnic cleansing, kicking the native population off the land to make way for a new people and state. Yet the author of this article would have you think that the only reason anyone could possibly criticize Israel is anti-Semitism. Israel invaded Lebanon, leading to the formation of a militant group opposed to Israel, yet as the author here presents it, they randomly sprang up because they hate Jews. The author would have you believe that Israel is always the victim, and that anti-Semitism is the only reason anyone would object to ethnic cleansing.
10
@Greg well put.
3
My entire life I've wanted to go to Israel for a multitude of reasons. First, I wanted to walk down a street and see that I'm in the majority, that likely everyone I come across will not see me as the 'other' because I am also a Jew. I won't have to hear the antisemitic slurs that have rained down upon my head since I was a child growing up in an Italian, German, Irish neighborhood in Queens, and all the fistfights that ensued as a result. Strolling in Tel Aviv I would feel certain no one would call me a dirty Jew.
Here, even when 'they' have the best f intentions, I can always feel the antisemitic undertones that result when the inevitable 'Jew' questions are asked by the curious, as though we are a different species.
Israel is the only place on this planet where I could feel safe, wanted, and where I belong and would be welcome...a perpetual war zone. Ironic isn't it?
4
In the meanwhile, Israelis tunnel underneath Al-Aqsa mosque and Dome of the Rock (Haram al-Sharif) and much of East Jerusalem, seriously endangering structures and residents. (Reminder: ALL of Jerusalem is occupied territory, having been established as 'corpus separatum' by the UN, as being of importance to all three Abrahamic traditions.) And, when speaking of Hamas and Hezbollah tunnels, Zionists studiously seem to disregard that these are defensive, resistance tunnels, exactly the same as the Jewish Resistance tunnels in the Warsaw Ghetto, memories of which they cherish the present day.
3
Sorry, but you can be opposed to Zionism as a right-wing, nationalist ideology without aligning yourself with terrorists. I thought Michelle G's article on the topic was more accurate and balanced.
4
How is this any different than Christian manifest destiny imposed on indigenous "Americans" to justify putting them on reservations?
5
We typically accept the views of targets of racism and abuse, regarding whether activities directed against them are racist are not. Jews have long been the exception - enduring word-splitting claims that targeting Jews is not “anti-Semitic,” just “anti-Zionist,” regardless of the reality. “Anti-Zionists” simply want Israel and its population to disperse and go away. What could be more racist than that ?
2
This column rests on a very basic logical fallacy. Stephens argues that all anti-Semites are anti-Zionists, therefore, all anti-Zionists are anti-Semites. This is akin to arguing that because all birds are warm-blooded, all warm-blooded animals are birds.
3
There were many who had legitimate policy disagreements with President Obama. There were many Americans, like the Birthers, who were racists, using the cover of political criticism as a culturally acceptable way to express their prejudices. Criticism of Israel follows the same path. The Jew haters [Arabs are Semites, too], argue it's the Palestinians they support, not Jews they hate. They want Palestinians to be treated fairly, to have their freedom and human rights protected. The same humanitarians certainly were against the president's Muslim ban, pushed for an end of the war in Yemen and protested the policy of stopping Syrian refugees from coming to the U. S. Just because someone can put a sentence and paragraph together, it doesn't mean they are pure of heart.
2
I'm an anti-zionist (lower case 'z', I recognize no one's god). Hindsight shows the folly that created a 'religious' nation, a self-claimed historic homeland (as if this were a game of "I called it first"). The utterly atrocious acts against Jews during WWII (and before) tipped efforts to create Zion, a permanent sanctuary state for Jews. But why did this new nation have to be on the land that currently is Israel? The costs (monetarily, militarily, politically) since far out-weigh the significance of the tiny nation (population, square footage, resources). The US could have offered N Dakota (minus reservations) and generously paid residents to relocate: billions of US dollars saved, friendly borders on all sides, more arable land albeit colder, but also not the 'promised land'.
Israel's govn't continues to stubbornly maintain status quo and indeed extend borders illegally by building settlements. The US should withhold aid to Israel until it makes meaningful efforts to dismantle/turn over the settlements. The idea that Israel is militarily strategically important seems an ongoing myth given current warfare capabilities and its tiny footprint. In actuality, the actions of the Israeli govn't continue to be a liability to peace in the middle-east and beyond. For years, Israel has operated as much as a lobbying/PR firm as a govn't to maintain its outsized position. Israel offers free trips for young (Jewish) adults to visit the "Homeland". What other country does that?
2
So "anti-zionist" is the new "communist" - a label of this exaggeration and innuendo.
A label with which you can tar kind, just people who simply disagree with Israeli policies (settlements, etc) as murderous thugs bent on mass-genocide.
4
And while we're re-examinng opinions, when you're quoting Kipling what side of imperialism are you on?
1
Hear, hear! Reality intrudes on the wishful thinking of those comfortably pontificating on Israel's existential issues while sipping on their caramel macchiato at Starbucks.
The hypocricy and naivete of the anti-Zionist and BDS supporters is pervasive. Simple test: would they allow Mexicans to launch rockets across our borders and/or open the border to all who are descended from those who once lived in the Southwest and allow them to return to their "homeland"? No, only Israel is subject to such complete nonsense. It will never happen - move on to real solutions.
5
excellent.
for those commentators who speak about Ben Gurion et al having a homeland in Poland (Russia, German, etc.), please explain why you think things worked out better for those Jews who stayed.
3
I don't understand Bret Stephen's equating all forms of anti-Zionism with genocide. Noam Chomsky, the 90 year old leftist world renown psycho-linguist might be construed as an anti-Zionist despite his Orthodox Jewish upbringing and his expert knowledge of Hebrew. Clearly, he is opposed to the settling of the West Bank by Zionists. How are his views and his person conflated with Hassan Nasrallah? He do all advocates of a one state solution to Israel-Palestine become genocidal killers? Obviously, they don't.
We need more sophisticated categories of analysis. Regarding the threat from Hezbollah and Hamas to Israel, I don't think one needs to reject one state aspirations to realize that Israel has a right of self defense. What Stephens does not tell us in his argument is that the Israelis have killed far more Lebanese than vice versa. They inflicted massive damage on the country in their invasion of 1982 and subsequently during their occupation of the country's Southern border over decades with their sponsored militia. They have conducted hundreds of air attacks. During the 2006 war with Hezbollah, the Israelis dropped half a million cluster bombs on the country which then had to be de-mined to prevent civilians, including children from dying in farm fields seeded with these despised weapons. So, before one gasps at the terror threat from Hezbollah consider the Israeli response over decades.
3
This is another attempt to delegitimize the Palestinian’s struggle for freedom. By labeling them as “anti semites” Bret Stephens demonizes them so that no one in the West will empathize with them.
Hezbollah was formed after Israel’s 1982 invasion and occupation of south Lebanon. We’re it not for Hezbollah, Israel would’ve built settlements in southern Lebanon just like it did in the Golan Heights and the West Bank. Israel has long coveted the fertile soil and water resources of Lebanon.
Lastly, while Bret Stephens is eager to point out religious extremism on the Muslim side, he ignores it on the Jewish side. Religious extremists in the Israeli government like Naftali Bennett believe that they are the “chosen people” and that they have a divine right to occupy the West Bank (so called Judea and Samaria). They have no moral qualms about instituting apartheid against Palestinians because they view them as inferior.
5
And in referencing Neo-nazi's and KKK protesters in South Carolina, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, stated "There are good on both sides". Yet, the Prime Minister of Israel literally embraces him as a friend. Tragically, there will never be peace in the Middle East.
1
Bret: There is no justification for the actions of the Israeli Right. I know you are on the side of Kagan, Boot, Adelson and Netanyahu and with Kushner and Bolton now on the scene you think this is your moment to completely destroy Palestine; you may accomplish that but it will never be justified is obvious and in the process judging from the comments even Jewish Americans have had enough of the killing and the occupation not to mention the literal trillions in tax dollars spent in the Middle East Wars for two reasons, big oil and increasingly The Security of Israel which, by extension, is why we put up with the perpetrators of 9/11 The Saudis, MBS and the murder of The Journalist Khashoggi. You can scream from the rooftops that Palestians hate Israelis and Palestinians want to kill Israelis but the fact of the matter Israelis are the ones doing the vast majority of the killing. The death toll according to ISRAELI records is so lopsided as to be absurd, one example being the First Gaza war(Massacre) of 1982 in which 1200 Israelis died while 30,000 Palestinians killed, 20,000 wounded mostly civilians. The Israelis, to puff their stats had to go back to 1860, the Arabs to 1919. They’ve got tunnels and knives, we’ve got bombs. There should have been a Marshall Plan approach to Palestine and restitutions paid to the Palestinians, something we Jews are very good at, still getting money from WWII, the current approach has failed for seventy years and is bankrupting America.
2
Where to begin? Mr. Stephens makes elementary category errors. All over the place. It is certainly true that most anti semites will also be anti Zionists. The reverse is not true. And most anti Zionists do not want to remove Jews from the middle east, they simply want to remove the racist imperialist government. Equating all anti Zionists with Hezbollah is slander. It's almost amusing when Mr. Stephens speaks of being removed from your "ancestral homeland" because your Jewish, given that the Zionists removed the Palestinians from their ancestral homeland because they were Palestinian.
2
When the Arab Moslem states, including Hamas and Hezzbolah let synagogues, Bahai shrines, Hindu and Sikh temples of worship and others in their lands then I would believe that they want peace.
5
Sweeping genreralizations tend to sweep me away. The occcupation of the Palestinian territories is rotting the souls of those young IDF soldiers sho do the bidding of truculent settlers who terrorize the Palestinian population, cut down the orchards, vineyards and uproot olive trees belonging to the Palestinians. Jewish tradition is steeped in social justice and that's why many Jews who are concerned with justice oppose the occupation. Don't do to someone else what you don't want done to you. If you find abandoned property the Torah commands you to return it to the owner, and to seek them out if you don't know whose it is. The Israeli regime is apartheid...unfair water rationing, separate judicial systems, no protection for Palestinans who suffer brutality at the hands of the settlers. Real time videos of incidents show that the IDF spokespeople do not speak truth. Follow the news on the ground in Israel and Palestine from sources there. The News Nosh is a compendium of various news organizations and is agreat resource. Mainstream American media tells a partial or twisted picture of the occupation. I agree with Mark. Pursue JUSTICE!
2
What is happening to the hundreds of millions of dollars going to support the Palestinians year after year? Just look at the figures and donors from 2016: https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/fact-check-how-much-funding-does-u-s-actually-give-palestinians-1.5630320
3
I believe that people who identify as Jews, either religiously, culturally or ethnically have a right to live in Israel/Palestine and anywhere else and I am fortunate that so many Jews of all kinds have chosen to to live in the US (along with Asians, Scots, Iranians, and many more.) I believe that westerners treated the native Americans horribly, but I do not believe they had no right to make this continent their home. And I believe that the Jewish immigrants to Israel/Palestine have treated the indigenous Palestinians horribly, and continue to do so with greater and greater efficiently. The Palestinian horror did not begin with the state of Israel, but with the terrorist gangs, the Irgun and Stern gangs, rampaging, killing and "clearing the land" of Palestinians in preparation for 1948. I do not believe the anyone had or has the right to treat Palestinian men, women and children as they have been treated. I believe that they deserve the same rights as any other person. I suppose that makes me, in Bret's eyes, an anti-Zionist. And in Bret's eyes, though he knows me not at all, I am an anti-Semite. Bret's problem is that, according to his reasoning, applying the ideals upon which western democracies have been based and are judged, including the US, to the government of Israel, makes one an automatic anti-Semite. If that's not a "reductio ad absurdum" of his essay, I've never seen one.
4
Israel exists and gratified Zionist aims on account of Truman, Stalin and Clement Atlee agreeing to let it happen. The British wanted out, Stalin wanted a socialist foothold in the Middle East and for Truman, it posed a solution to the displaced and surviving Jews a place to go, rather than the US. It was evident from the beginning that the Jewish state would be under attack from their Arab neighbors, and it has been thus ever since. Not every Jew is a Zionist, even in Israel, but every Israeli is a soldier who fights at the direction of their government.
The one thing that has been evident during the history of Israel is the incredible double standard by which the world views its behavior. It would seem that the only way to satisfy its critics would be for it to cease to exist. No other country gets held to the same standard that Israel does. If the US was held to the same standard, its treatment of Native Americans, the land it took from them and from Spain/Mexico, there would be ongoing resolutions condemning its behavior. Other countries who have taken control of territory due to winning a war would have to return to its original boundaries. There have been ethnic cleansings, territorial grabs and atrocious human rights violations committed regularly by other countries, but only Israel is selected for special treatment.
3
An Israeli commentator once said that the tragedy of the Palestinian people was that they had lost the Israeli left. May I point out how quiet people are in Arizona about the need to stop the caravans of Central American migrants? Arizonans who left water on the border for migrants, looked the other way when migrants checked into their emergency rooms and public schools, insisted that they couldn't find Americans to hire, seem to have decided that enough is enough. People who want to survive will do that; that's why the Israelis will do what is necessary to stay alive, and that's why Americans, including American Jews, will support Donald Trump; you don't have to adore everything about a leader to recognize that they're what you need to survive.
I lived in East Jerusalem, the Arab side of the city, for ten years, from 1994-2004. I lived and worked as a librarian in a Roman Catholic research institute and religious community. My confreres were pro-Palestinian to the point of subtly approving of violent Palestinian attacks on Jewish Israelis. I never could buy into their views and sentiments, especially after 9/11. Arafat seemed genuinely disturbed by the attack, but the Palestinians on the next street over from our grounds were openly cheering. It always seemed to me that your average Palestinian would be happy to see the state of Israel disappear, by whatever means necessary, so that they could reclaim what they see as rightly theirs, though that Palestine is long gone. Israel is around one-fifth Palestinian. I can't imagine a similar Palestinian state with a minority Jewish population. Israeli crimes and human rights violations against innocent Palestinians are real. But until Palestinians renounce their past and present terrorist violence against Israelis, accept Israel, and negotiate in good faith for a two-state solution, they are never going to have their rightful place in the world.
6
If I were a Palestinian I would be a supporter of anyone and any organization that actively resists the occupation and the blockade, including Hamas and Hezbollah. I would support the "Resistance" and not the "Collaborator" (Abbas).
If I were a Jewish Israeli I would be a supporter of anyone and any organization that actively resists the control of the rightwing extremists that are leading my country to self-destruction.
4
@Greg
It's wrong to murder innocent people.
It's wrong to support people who murder innocent people.
There would be no occupation if racist Palestinians had not attacked Israel.
There would be no blockade if racist Palestinians had not attacked Israel.
5
@m1945
It is wrong for European Jews to colonize Palestine.
It is wrong to force Palestinian Arabs to accept subjugation under European Jewish Zionism.
There would be no conflict if the Zionists had not strived to fight the Arabs for control of Palestine.
2
@Joe
You’re ahistorical, Joe. The Arab conquest never guaranteed Arab-Islamic supremacy in every corner of the Levant, in perpetuity.
3
Israel invaded Southern Lebanon in 1982. Hezbollah (Party of God) was born as a resistance movement against the occupation (no occupation, no Hezbollah). Its objective was to liberate all of the Lebanese territory. When Israel ultimately retreated, they stayed in the Shebaa farms (a disputed strip of land between Syria and Lebanon of about 10 sq. miles). At the end of the Lebanese civil war, all militias agreed to disarm except for Hezbollah who vowed not to lay down its arms until Israel leaves the farms that it considered being part of Lebanon. As time passed and with the help of Iran, a Shiite nation that shares Hezbollah’s religious belief, the “Party of God” grew stronger, bolder and now controls the Lebanese government, upending a political echo system that existed from the time of Lebanon's independence in 1943. So, Israel, watch your rebellious child grow. All of this for a mere 10 sq. miles of land!
2
Last week, Michelle Goldberg, someone whose views I respect,
wrote an opinion piece arguing that anti-Semitism and anti-Israel should not be conflated. Unfortunately, the two are often conflated; often by prominent people.
Such conflation is nothing new: Arafat would go out of his way to distinguish his and the PLO’s disdain for the Jewish state while separating that view from killing Jews. It’s much easier in today’s world to justify condemnation of Israeli policies (which many Jews in the diaspora are in agreement) from anti-Semitism. Too often it is a transparent code which, indeed, conflates the Jewish state with hatred of Jews. Ask the marching white supremacists in Charlottesville how they feel.
2
You could also run a column titled, fairly and accurately, "When Pro-Zionism Exiles 750,000 of Your People," or "When Pro-Zionism Kills Thousands or Tens of Thousands of Your People," or "When Pro-Zionism Subjugates Your Nation and Steals Its Land for 51 Years."
6
@Larry Derfner Thanks for weighing in, great to see you here. "No Country For Jewish Liberals" was truly insightful and appreciated.
1
@Larry Derfner
Ah, the mendacious ‘stolen land’ narrative makes its appearance...
5
It is a good thing that there are many sources of quality writing and journalism. As some readers may know, but ignored by the Gray Lady, some of the left activists behind the women's march here have direct connections to Farrakhan. They have been called out by one of the co-founders of the pink hat marches, a Jewish woman retired attorney.
Antisemitism is still the primary coin of the realm on the hard and nutty right, to be sure. Mr. Soros is the universal bogeyman to be trotted out by a poisonous cadre of nationalists and so-called populists. That said, one need only look to the new face of Britain's left party, Labour. The old Blair/Brown/Milliband crew and supporters have been shown the door and party membership is hard left all the way.
The Lenin clone (at least in appearance) and unreformed 1980 student hard left activist who leads it has been accused of masking antisemitism under the guise of anti-Zionism. He has praised various groups and actors considered terrorists by Israel and by many in the U.S. This is a real problem that cannot be wished away. That the terror groups who wish to kill off all Jews exist, both on the hard and nutty right and among radical Islamists, must be acknowledged and confronted .
2
Failing to distinguish moderate from extremist Zionism, Bret Stephens rehashes old notions without advancing the discussion.
3
Let's be clear that non Zionism is an acceptable position but that anti Zionism does indeed mean siding with the enemies who want to destroy Israel. When people accuse Israel of genocide, justify the actions of Hezbollah or Hamas or chant "Palestine will be free, from the river to the sea". they aren't calling for two states. And as an American Israel who has heard the boom of suicide bombers blowing themselves up 10 minutes from my apartment and know that it's only luck that I or a loved one was not the victim I do have a different perspective from my American friends and relatives sitting in their comfortable living rooms reading liberal periodicals
5
The article conveniently leaves out any mention of the 1000+ southern Lebanon residents vaporized by Israel in 2006. The attack on Lebanon killed 1,200 civilians, a third of them children, during a 34-day period. Human Rights Watch has reported that as many as 4.6 million cluster bombs were dropped on Lebanon by Israel.
This ahistorical and clueless take by Stephens ignores the fact that to residents of southern Lebanon, invasion by Israel is a constant clear and present danger to their lives and those of their families, and they rely on Hezbollah as a means of resistance to heavily armed Israeli invaders and occupiers. Not to mention the fact that Hezbollah organizes and operates most of the hospitals, public utilities, and social services there.
Anti-Zionists' advocating for the right to self-determination for *all* people in the region - not just Jews - is NOT anti-semitism.
It is advocating for the end of a white ethnostate, where residents' rights to freedom of movement without checkpoints, clean water to drink and bathe, and life free of military occupation are decided by their religion. That is apartheid.
Just as the South African apartheid system eventually crumbled under international opposition, so will Israeli apartheid.
4
@Charlie
No occupier has ever treated the occupied the same way it treats its own citizens, but no one has ever called that apartheid unless the occupier is Israel.
Every time Israel offers to end the occupation, the Palestinians say “No!”
Even Prince Bandar bin Sultan of Saudi Arabia (certainly not a Zionist) said that Arafat’s refusal to accept the January 2001 offer was a crime. Thousands of people would die because of Arafat’s decision & not one of those deaths could be justified.
As Bill Clinton later wrote in his memoir:
It was historic: an Israeli government had said that to get peace, there would be a Palestinian state in roughly 97 percent of the West Bank, counting the [land] swap, and all of Gaza, where Israel also had settlements. The ball was in Arafat’s court.
But Arafat would not, or could not, bring an end to the conflict. “I still didn’t believe Arafat would make such a colossal mistake,” Clinton wrote. “The deal was so good I couldn’t believe anyone would be foolish enough to let it go.” But the moment slipped away. “Arafat never said no; he just couldn’t bring himself to say yes.”
4
When Nelson Mandela proclaimed that South Africa should belong equally to all those who live in it, was he actually calling for the extermination of the whites?
How much longer will this narrative of Arab savagery threatening a new Holocaust be effective in justifying the subjugation of six million Palestinians, two million of them confined to a squalid prison camp?
Mr. Stephens wants those of us who say that apartheid states have no moral right to exist, to be tarred and feathered as befuddled apologists for anti-semites at a minimum, and crypto-Nazis at a maximum. This McCarthyite approach is having less and less traction with young Americans, including Jewish Americans.
But what is perhaps the most dangerous consequence of this lurid line of argument is that it diminishes the actual place the Holocaust should have in the collective memory of mankind: the most monstrous result of states founded on racial/ethnic/religious supremacy. If the Israeli apologists keep this up, the Shoah will be reduced to that thing that happened years ago in Europe that the Israelis invoke to justify the degradation of the Palestinians.
5
Aren't some anti-Zionists calling not for the elimination of Israel but instead for the elimination of Israel as a Jewish state? In other words, they're advocating for a democratic, bi-national states in which Jews and Palestinians govern equally. I'm not saying this is a workable solution, because Israel (and possibly the Palestinians) would never agree to it. But it's very different from calling for Israel to be wiped off the map.
158
@uncanny And by “some,” you mean one or two? In contrast, say, to the Hezbollah thousands? I just don’t see your assertion, even if true, as cause for optimism.
22
@uncanny
When the Palestine Mandate west of the Jordan river (now called Jordan) becomes a bi-national state ruled by both Jews and Arabs, only then will you have a legitimate argument.
38
@Bruce Zwecker
"Some" Zionists call for a single state for Jews only.
"Some" would be the Israeli government and every political party that supported Israel's new nationality law. The one that explicitly conferred lesser legal rights on non-Jews. The law that had the support of millions of Israeli Jews.
That certainly is no cause for optimism.
18
I really don't want to be seen as disagreeing with Stephens, because I don't disagree with him. I just want to add my thoughts. The Left is, quite obviously, flawed in the way they look at Zionism and Hezbollah. They either deny that Palestinian prejudice against Israel exists at all, and prop up radical Anti-Semites and nationalists as examples of model progressives, as is the case with Ilhan Omar, or pretend that that demographic barely exists at all. This is obviously incorrect. The number of persons who simply hate Jews, and hate Israel, and want to exterminate heretics is a very large precent of the Muslim community, especially in Gaza, reaching as high as 30%. But people like Bret Stephens must also draw a distinction between this group, the unreasonables, who I will join him in condemning, and the Palestinians who are reasonable. There are Palestinians who would oppose Israeli expansion on decent and honorable grounds. I am well acquainted with many of them. While I do not want to say that Bret Stephens ignores these people, because I do not believe that that is true, I certainly do not believe that he is putting forth any examples of honorable opposition to Zionism, which is the key to solving this problem. Pretending there is no diamond in the rough is dangerous, just dangerous.
"The same can’t be said for that class of scolds who excel in making excuses for the wicked and finding fault with the good. When you find yourself on the same side as Hassan Nasrallah, Louis Farrakhan and David Duke on the question of a country’s right to exist, it’s time to re-examine every opinion you hold."
Vanishingly few Americans find themselves on this "side."
The Israelis need to "behave better" not because it will make Hezbollah hate them less, but because the Palestinians on the West Bank are human beings who deserve to be treated as such.
Stephens' attempt to equate the Palestinian people with the vilest of extremists is as logical and fair as equating the Israeli people with Yigal Amir.
1
@Jasr
According to the Anti-defamation League Survey, 93% of Palestinians are anti-Semitic.
http://global100.adl.org/public/ADL-Global-100-Executive-Summary.pdf
3
When I saw the phrase "Tunnels Under Your House," I briefly thought that Bret might describe the shameful archeological dig under East Jerusalem, the dig that has forced many Palestinians out of homes their families have lived in for generations.
Palestinian parents don't sleep soundly, Bret. I am amazed that such a brilliant journalist can be so myopic. Racism pervades Israeli society. I have heard both American and Israeli Jews used charged, racist terms to describe Arabs AND to refer to Jews from non-European roots.
3
I find that people like Mr. Stephens often use the same bad arguments when advocating against anti-Zionism.
First, they say that their country is under imminent threat of annihilation. They often bring up rhetoric anti-semites have used or misunderstand the rhetorical exaggeration fairly common in the Arabic language. Then they'll mention a few dozen horrible deaths they've suffered, ignoring the thousands and thousands that are killed on the Palestinian side, including innocent protesters. Next, they'll say something about how many rockets are landing in Israel and how damage to property justifies carpet-bombing neighborhoods.
Anti-Zionists don't all believe that Israel should be dismantled. What we have serious problems with are:
- The illegal settlements Israel supports which are intended to displace Palestinians and force them to live in isolated areas
- The illegal military occupation of Palestinian lands which makes Palestinians criminals in their own neighborhoods
- The invariably disproportionate military responses which always feature massive civilian casualties because the Israeli military has no interest in limiting collateral damage
- The insistence that anything less than total support for Israel is anti-semitism (speaking as a proud member of the Jewish community myself)
- The mockable claims that RPGs landing in fields justifies airstrikes on apartment buildings, hospitals, schools, etc.
- The equally mockable claim that Palestinians will never be peaceful.
5
@Andrew, that is not anti-Zionism. That is a belief in a two-state solution with changes from the Israeli government. If that is what you believe, then speak out against Tlaib, Sarsour, Omar, Perez, Mallory, and the other anti-Zionists. Please. Or make aliyah and vote Meretz.
3
Bret Stephens continues to state selective, self-serving rhetoric that whitewashes Zionism's injustices and insults those who take a moral stand of conscience against such injustices.
To start with, it's hard to take seriously Mr. Stephens protestations about possible dispossession that Israeli Jews may be subject to in the future, given that Zionism achieved its goals through the immoral uprooting and dispossession of Palestinian Arabs. And as terrible as Arab terrorists are, they are really no worse than any number of Israeli founding fathers who Mr. Stephens presumably reveres, those who were slaughtering and mistreating innocent Arab civilians in the 1930s and 1940s, as well as assassinating European statesmen and even fellow Jews.
To be anti-Zionist is to separate oneself from the wrongdoings that Zionism has committed and that one tends to believe may be, to some meaningful degree, intrinsic to the movement's geopolitical aspirations. It does not necessarily mean one hates Jews. It also does not mean that one necessarily believes any Israel Jew must or should be uprooted or dispossessed from where they live now.
Double effect is a perfectly time-honored bona fide Western principle of classic ethics. Since Mr. Stephens seems to have no problem trumpeting it for an unethical enterprise, we certainly should have every right to use it for an ethical one, while not deliberating wishing evil.
6
@Rob
Jewish terrorism arose in the 1930’s as self-defense against Palestinian terrorism which had started in 1920.
The Jewish government tracked down some of the Jewish terrorist leaders and handed them over to the British for punishment.
3
@m1945
Yes and Palestinian terrorism arose as a self defense to Jewish demands to steal their land.
The Jewish leadership did not turn over terrorist leaders to the British, they voted them to be Prime Minister. Menachem Begin was responsible for dozens of bombings in crowded marketplaces. You're bound to find a David Rezial street in every Israeli city and he did the exact same.
2
I'm not buying it. If anti-Zionism is tunneling under your home, it's because anti-Palestinianism is walling people off from their villages and ancestral lands and roadways... not to mention water supplies.
Israel will never be able to outrun the choice they made in 1945, to take the land for their own, to the exclusion of other, rightful inhabitants.
They're not going to stop taking and excluding, either, until they've swallowed up the whole thing.
3
@public takeover
In 1929, Palestinians ethnically cleansed Hebron & Gaza of their Jews.
In 1948, Arabs ethnically cleansed the West Bank & East Jerusalem of their Jews. ZERO Jews were left in Gaza, the West Bank or East Jerusalem. Israel could have ethnically cleansed all the Arabs from Israel, but Israel didn’t. There are now 1.8 million Arabs living in Israel.
5
Where this article falls down, is exactly where Bret's professor would have given him a zero-- even in the 1970s. Namely, that he claims to dissect "anti-Zionism" without... first defining the word Zionism. Oh dear, that's not going to work.
Zionism is one historic stance on the question of Jewish self-determination. Anti-Zionism was an argument against that stance. Zionism has never repudiated its position, that the Jews CANNOT exist in the Diaspora (or even prosper), and must all be removed into Palestine. Accordingly, Zionists continue to ask European Jews to pack their bags and move.
In theory, Zionism is late-19th century nationalism striving for one corner of the British Empire. Anti-Zionism has evolved over the past century, not because professors like to theorize, but because Israel is now a state, not a philosophy.
Here's a thought experiment: try taking the other person's position, Mr. Stephens, and swapping in Palestinian for Jewish in your analysis. Both are true, as in your words, "The explicit aim of the Zionist/anti-Zionist is political or physical dispossession."
Or, "What’s worse: To be denied membership in a country club because you’re Palestinian/Jewish, or driven from your ancestral homeland and sovereign state for the same reason?"
Palestinians are dispossessed of their land and driven from their ancestral homelands too.
4
@Yann
It's important to know why Palestinians were dispossessed.
The day after the UN Partition Resolution in November 1947, racist Palestinians started a genocidal war to exterminate the Jews. Haj Amin el-Husseini, Grand Mufti of Jerusalem – “I declare a holy war, my Muslim brothers! Murder the Jews! Murder them all!”
Wars create refugees!
Also, remember that racist Palestinians had set a bad example by ethnically cleansing Hebron & Gaza of their Jews in 1929.
Also, remember that 900,000 Jews in Arab & Muslim countries were dispossessed.
3
@m1945
The Palestinian refugees are no more to blame for their becoming refugees than Jewish refugees from Europe were to blame for their predicament.
The blame for creating refugees lies in the forces who expelled and then later refused to allow the refugees to return to their homes. Israel refused to allow people to return to their homes simply because of their ethnicity.
1
The fact that some / many / most of Binyamin Netanyahu's policies are sub optimal / poor / bad has nothing to do with the article, or with Israel's right to exist. Because Donald Trump was elected with fewer votes than Hillary Clinton, and prior to his election and afterward engaged in a variety of criminal actions does not suggest that the United States is not legitimate or should be abolished.
But that is the position of a number of commenters vis a vis Israel.
As to the taking of land, prior to the establishment of the State of Israel, Jews around the world put pennies or local equivalents in JNF boxes and the money was used for free market purchases of land in Israel. It was not stolen. Since then, the established government, using procedures in the law, has taken some land. In the United States we call that eminent domain. It is the right of any sovereign government.
As to historical claims to the land, Jews have lived in the Land of Israel for thousands of years. The name "Palestine" is the name given by the Romans to their Jewish colony. It was only after 1948 that the name was applied to the Arab residents of the area exclusively.
3
@Eugene Yes, there was Zionist Jewish purchasing of land which should be recognized as legitimate. But in 1947, all of that purchasing activity amounted to about 7% of what is now Israel, West Bank, and Gaza. 93% was Arab owned or public domain land.
Plenty of land was expropriated [i.e. stolen] by Zionist forces and authority. Those procedures of law you tout were the barring of non-Jews who fled a war zone or were expelled from returning to their land simply because they were non-Jews, then Israeli authorities declaring in law since the occupant was not present on various properties [which tends to happen when you bar non-Jews from returning to the properties they lived on] the state had the right to confiscate it.
3
I am a Zionist. I also wish for peace and believe in a two-state solution.
To paraphrase a much more significant, historical Zionist:
We should fight the Anti-Zionists as if there was no occupation; we should fight the occupation as if there were no Anti-Zionists.
2
@IHG
The occupation is necessary to prevent racist Palestinians from murdering Jews. If Palestinians were willing to live in peace with Israelis, the occupation wouldn't be necessary.
If Israel were to end the occupation of the West Bank today, Palestinians would fire rockets & mortars from the West Bank just as Palestinians fired rockets & mortars from Gaza after Israel pulled out of Gaza.
1
I was curious what people think about the following. I agree with some of the comments that a critique of Israel is not inherently antisemetic and I agree that if that was the case it would insulate Israel against all critique that was not willing to pay the price of being labeled antisemetic. I am curious though, if the critique is not, at the very least, partially motivated by antisemitism, why are Israeli Arabs not attacked physically or politically as Israeli Jews are?. Do people believe that when Nasrallah fires missles he would be just as happy to see them land on Israeli Arab schools as Jewish ones and when there is a critique leveled by the UN they are intending to hold your average Israeli Arabs as guilty as your average Israel Jew? I do not believe all critism of Israel is inherently antisemetic. Methodological, to test the motivation, it is easy. Whenever a critique is leveled against Israel, one just need ask the question, “So does that go for Israeli Arabs as well?” Either they will agree, conferring that it is a “political critique” or they will not agree confirming there is a distinction based on Religion as opposed to politics. Thoughts?
Thank God for Bret Stephens who writes so brilliantly and eloquently. He writes the truth. Not “his truth” but THE TRUTH. Thank you, Bret, for your incisive analysis and for exposing the farcical differentiation between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism. They are indeed one and the same. Furthermore, here’s a news bulletin: we shall endure and prevail as we have for way over two millennia despite the tide of abject hatred.
5
This is pure and poorly argued sophistry.
Zionism eliminated half a state (Palestine) and Jewish expansion since 67 has nearly wiped out the other half. The former inhabitants are imprisoned and persecuted if they resist. Since '48, Jews have been conquering the Arabs inhabitants of Palestine. They have been successful so far mostly because Americans have helped them militarily.
Palestinian Arabs have tried to fight back from the start but have had little success. They were beaten badly in '67 and '73. Hizbollah has enjoyed some successes in '82 and in '06. Joined by Shia militias in Syria and Iran, they now have combat experience and many loyal willing fighters. I think the Jews are in serious trouble , but that's not surprising. 15 million Jews in the world against 1.5 billion muslims. Once those muslims organize, it wouldn't be much of a fight.
Jews of all stripes (Stephens or Goldberg) think that the world really believes that the existence of a jewish state should not be questioned. Maybe a lot of Americans believe that, but the rest of humanity does not. Anti-Zionism and Anti-Semitism are two different things in the real world.
4
@Ed
Palestinians have been oppressing Jews for centuries.
Before the Zionists arrived The Jews “walked with a shuffling, cringing step that told of blows received and blows expected. No one could mistake the difference between oppressor and oppressed—“between those poor creatures and the Arabs who jostled them in these crowded alleys...The Arabs stride along with a spring in every step.”19
Meanwhile, for all their poverty, the Jews were more heavily taxed than their Christian neighbors. All non-Muslims had to pay a poll tax, as tribute and as the price of exemption from military service. But the Jews of the Holy Land also paid, both as a community and as individuals, a host of extortionate charges to local officials, Arab notables, and Arab neighbors—whatever could be squeezed from a very dry stone. In Jerusalem, for example, they paid £300 a year to the effendi whose house adjoined the Western Wall—what non-Jews contemptuously called the “wailing wall” or “wailing place”—for permission to pray there; £100 a year to the villagers of Siloam (just outside the city), not to disturb or profane the graves on the side of the Mount of Olives; £50 a year to the Ta’amra Arabs not to injure the Tomb of Rachel on the road to Bethlehem; and about £10 to Sheik Abu Gosh not to molest Jewish travelers on the road to Jerusalem, though he was already paid by the Turkish government to maintain order on that road.
2
The days of Arab conquest and dhimmitude in this tiny corner of the Levant over, and they’re not coming back. It’s time that Israel’s hostile neighbors come to terms with that fact.
3
@Shenoa
Then Israel should cease their "dhimmitude" towards the Palestinians and grant them equal rights.
1
Thank you and well said Mr Stephens. I also find it telling that you never see those who are “anti Zionist” or those who support BDS make any demands of those in the anti Israel coalition. When have BDS supporters ever demanded of Iran that they stop shipping missiles to Hezbollah? Or Hamas to stop shooting unguided missiles into Israeli communities? Or for hamas to stop using the opening of Gaza crossing to to import cement for attack tunnels? Where’s their advocacy for Palestinian rights in lebanon? Anti Zionism and Anti semitism one and the same.
5
Yes, Israel has a right to exist.
Did Israel have a right to exist in 1947?
@Justin
Did Jordan have a right to exist in 1920?
3
Well, it is helpful to learn from Bret Stephens that in his view the word "anti-Zionism" refers to genocidal efforts to eliminate the state of Israel and its people from the Middle East. That is a perfectly coherent definition.
It follows that that those who argue against Bibi Netanyahu's disastrous policies and hope to roll back the settlements, including through tools such as boycotts, are not anti-Zionist. Similarly, it follows that those who propose making all the Palestinian people in the territories equal members of one democratic state for both the Israelis and the Palestinians, are not anti-Zionist. The left, in short, is not anti-Zionist. The only anti-Zionists are those who want Jews to leave Israel or die.
For many Jews (and others) on the left who have long been tarred as "anti-Zionists" by Bret Stephens' friends, this new definition of anti-Zionism will come as a great relief.
And now it is time to stop tarring your main political opponents with the brush of the horrible, genocidal views of other people, views you well know that they don't share.
2
At the core of Stephens's screed Is that only Jews have a right to the land of Palestine, and that any suggestion that they should share it fairly with the non-Jewish population is equivalent to calling for the elimination of Israel. That's quite a stretch. He gets there by citing Israel's most extreme opponents. But there are also some pretty extreme types on the pro side. I recall seeing former prime minister Shamir talking of squashing the Arabs "like grasshoppers."
3
Singapore is an a great example of how to build a prosperous state in a resource free small geographic area. Until Palestinian mothers decide they want their children to build a similar state in Gaza and most of the West Bank, instead of killing Jews, there will never be peace in that region. The people who claim a Palestinian identity must decide on war or peace.
4
@Donna Gray
‘son's death was "best day of my life," says Palestinian mother’
How can a mother who loves her son say that his death was the "best day of my life?" The explanation is that she believes that her son's becoming a martyr by dying while attacking Jews gives him instant access to Paradise & eternal happiness. People who believe as she does don't want peace. They want conflict because conflict provides an opportunity for martyrdom.
2
As someone with deep and loving connections with both Palestinians and Israelis I'm quite comfortable opposing the actions of the Israeli state. I am fervently opposed to the agonistic belligerence that the Zionist movement has spawned.
The real tragedy is that it didn't need to be this way. It still doesn't. A community that has seen so much persecution and suffering as the Jewish community can surely find a way to stop inflicting harm on their neighbors and pursue a stable two-state solution. Internally Israelis can denounce any propaganda that stokes incursive border settlements or wall building.
@sb
In 1947, the scholars at Al-Azhar University (The highest authority in Sunni Islam.) declared holy war to return Palestine to Islamic rule. Therefore, as long as most Palestinians are devout Muslims (85% of Palestinian Muslims want sharia law.) and as long as the Jewish State controls even one square inch of land, peace is impossible.
2
Netanyahu and Trump poured gasoline on the smoldering fire moving the embassy to Jerusalem.
Ehud Barak, Bill Clinton, and Yasser Arafat so very nearly agreed on a two state solution in 2000. A two state solution would be a good beginning to solving the problem, and disabling Hezbollah and Hamas.
For those claiming Palestinian "ancestral homeland", please provide this "ancestral homeland's" capital, currency, laws, artifacts, or anything to indicate that the concept of ethnic Palestinians existed prior to 1967. Thanks.
5
I'll take Stephens over Goldberg in this debate any day of the week. It's not a hard choice. And BTW, the photo in today's Times of Minority Leader and probable-Speaker Nancy Pelosi with Rep.-elect Ilhan Omar will be a wall poster in Beirut and Gaza.
3
A two-state solution is increasingly impossible, most experts agree, thanks to the aggressive settlements Likud has carried out. So that means there can only be one state, which will need to be a Jewish state AND and Arab state, with no apartheid or Jim Crow for anyone. That's not anti-Semitism, that is recognizing reality.
1
Most Americans are unable to extract themselves from the binary argument regarding this issue, while the rest of the world is fairly clear on this. If you can back up for one minute and detach yourself from any previously transmitted rhetoric or narrative, please consider this: Israel is just as oppressive and destructive as a Jewish State, as Iran or Saudi Arabia are as Islamic States. Iran and Saudi Arabia defame the billions of good Muslims around the world and promote Islamophobia, just as Israel defames the millions of good Jews around the world and promotes anti-Semitism. These are incredibly simple and very effective strategies by young, fanatically religious states, in order to justify the terribly erroneous idea that you can even have a functional and peaceful religious state. This is simply not possible. They are the same. Once you see this, you will no longer support these ridiculously cruel human experiments. If you begin to make excuses for one, you are missing the point completely. The Zionist project is a terrible mistake, as is the Islamic Republic of Iran, etc. I am Jewish, as is everyone in my family. The Israelis are impostors dishonoring our entire lineage and ancestors. Yet if we say this out loud, we are branded as anti-Semitic. Disgusting. One thing I'm still unclear on though. Does Bret Stephens get paid in Shekels or Dollars?
3
That's a fascinating definition of "anti-Zionism", Bret. Very Humpty Dumpty-like:
“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less."
Sadly, that elides a lot of distinctions that should be made. Is someone who favors a two-state solution an anti-Zionist? It's not clear - let's ask Bret, though: he gets to define the term.
1
Should native Americans have the right to demand the rest of us leave given their historic ownership of "American" land? If not, why?
2
This oped is yet another voice of fear and hatred. There seems to be no voice of reason or moderation on either side, and probably will never be until America seriously intervenes to stop the violence and begin negotiations. John Kerry tried, but without any consequences for saying no, the Israelis will never offer Palestinians a chance at peace, prosperity and dignity.
3
"The good news is that the conversation about anti-Zionism remains mostly academic because Israelis haven’t succumbed to the fatal illusion that, if only they behaved better, their enemies would hate them less."
I cannot agree.
Israel has a very difficult balancing act. The state must secure the safety of its residents. At the same time, it cannot afford to isolate itself in the world.
Some respect is gained through strength, like the wary respect for a strong rival or enemy. Israel has earned that in several wars.
However, some respect is earned through increased understanding and empathy. My father-in-law has worked with several Israeli organizations that work to improve relations between Israelis and Palestinians, and I remain impressed by those organizations.
You can't please all of the people all of the time, no. Israelis and Jews in the Diaspora have learned that from humiliations and from victories. However, we know full well that even if there's a point where better behavior won't make your enemies hate you less, worse behavior will always make your enemies hate you more.
The question then becomes, how much do we care about that sliding scale? That is where empathy, and friendly respect, is found or lost.
2
Used to be that the tribal nature of humans was a survival benefit. No more, not when the "force of arms" to keep a "looming menace ... at bay" consists of nukes, nanobots, geno-weapons and god knows what other weaponized technology our fear-filled minds will invent.
Would be far more effective to use modern examples... citing events from 40 years ago doesn't play well.
Is being pro-Palestine the same as being anti-Zionist? I think there are shades of gray that the author is missing. In the same way one can be critical of the American government and not wish death upon its citizens, one can be critical of the way the Israeli government treats Palestinians and flouts international law.
It seems the author is conflating all these ideas into Antisemitism.
1
Stephens still refuses to level with us. Israel has knowingly created and nurtured the power and influence of Hamas and Hezbollah.
It works like this. Every time Netanyahu's government builds or expands a settlement, it is in effect "subsidizing" Hezbollah and Hamas -- and that subsidy is infinitely more valuable than money.
Every expansion of Israel's settlements in the West Bank -- typically announced when the US or Europe starts talking about negotiations -- reminds Palestinians that Israel is still wedded to the messianic project of restoring Eretz Yisrael -- and to the prospect of a second great expulsion of Palestinians from what had been their home for (in many or most cases) thousands of years.
This Israeli intransigence has the desired effect. It deliberately stifles the possibility that Palestinian moderates might emerge to challenge Hamas and Hezbollah. Only a Palestinian who is a dupe or a traitor can be a moderate so long as Israel makes it unmistakably clear that it is not open to making any real concessions.
Having thus snuffed out any chance of Palestinian moderation, Israel then points to Hamas' and Hezbollah's extremism to justify its own extremism. Brilliant! And we are completely fooled. Shame on us.
1
"The good news is that the conversation about anti-Zionism remains mostly academic because Israelis haven’t succumbed to the fatal illusion that, if only they behaved better, their enemies would hate them less."
The issue for Israelis behaving better is that it would make their friends and potential friends like them more.
I'm being asked to actually help the Israelis, and for my country to spend money, prestige and even lives to help. If Israelis behaved better, I'd be more willing to do so.
There is a danger in alienating allies. The Christian right and anti Muslim government isn't going to be in power here forever, and when support for Israel falls, it's not going to be announced by some Anti Zionist. It's just going to go away, slowly and quietly.
I am no fan of Mr. Nasrallah or Hezbollah, but this deciphering of his actual words fails to achieve the "a-ha" effect that Mr. Stephens was apparently trying to achieve.
The recent rebranding of anti-Semitism as anti-Zionism seeks to deflect calls of bigotry by targeting the Jewish homeland instead of the Jews. Ironically, their objection to a Jewish homeland is the best evidence of its necessity.
Anti-Zionists in America claim their opposition to Israel is a reaction to its policies while willfully ignoring that Israel’s policies are a reaction to its opposition. Their enemies have been rejecting a two state solution for 70 years - long before there were settlements, occupied territories or Netanyahu's government to oppose.
The recent election of two BDS supporters to Congress proves that hatred of Israel has gone mainstream. Politicians instinctually distance themselves from anything detrimental to their image, so their indifference to this bigotry is a good indication of its pervasiveness.
Europe is a lost cause, the largest mass exodus of Jews since WWII is already well underway. American Jews need to take political support for Israel seriously, because it’s the only place we can still go if the tide should turn against us here.
3
For someone who's been sharply critical of Trump, lately, Bret Stephens sounds a lot like him. Is it really impossible to be both an antsemite and a zionist? I would say the whole right wing of the GOP answers to that description, including David Duke who, the last time I checked, was still a Republican.
The originator of modern Zionism, Theodor Herzl, was a Russian Socialist Jew whose own rabbis, when sent to check out the lands he envisioned for his new State of Israel, cabled back with "The bride is indeed lovely but she's already married to another man". Herzl's solution was that his new nation would adopt what he called a "permanent Iron Wall policy". They would have to accept that they'd be in CONSTANT warfare with the displaced residents, so should always align themselves with the financial and military leader of the world for support. His crazy idea was that eventually the victims of the diaspora this takeover creates would suddenly realize they are grateful for being dispersed and exposed to modern, European cultures and thus become more prosperous in THEM.
He forgot that folks do not like being invaded, occupied and their lands taken away and their own lives and family driven into a life of refugee camps, and the world's other peoples do not like onslaughts of desperate, ANGRY refugees, who then often use their host countries as staging areas for plots of revenge and terrorism, the last tool of the helpless. AND when the foundation for all this is religion, you've just drawn in other members of the faiths in all nations too.
Anyone notice Iraq lately, or the equally successful nation of Afghanistan, seventeen years after our "little invasion that we could win in a few days or weeks?"
1
I can only add my support for this perceptive and deeply honest reply to an article by Michelle Goldberg that literally
made me wonder if she even knows what she's talking about
when it comes to Zionism and Israel itself. Add this to a piece
by Nora Erakat, a Palestinian American professor who in no
uncertain terms - despite the rhetoric - carries on the Arab
demand both pre and ante 1948 that a Jewish state in itself is totally verboten. More recently, it was the Palestinians who
forestalled any possible settlement, that is from the time Arafat
scuttled Camp David2, abetted the second intifada, then -
with the help of Bush2 and after Israel abandoned all of Gaza, enabled Hamas to take over Gaza. All this happened before Netanyahu regained power. It's also why so many Israelis - even though many of them despise the settlers - vote for him.
2
The state of Israel is the world's leading poster child for the principle of separation of church (read religion here) and state. There is no better example of everything that goes wrong when religion trumps politics. There are many Jews, such as I, that do not support Zionism, nor the right-wing racist policies of the Netanyahu government. Arguing that this position is anti-Semitic is absurd, as is reducing a complex situation with plenty of wrongs on both sides to a simplistic, black and white, good vs. evil cartoon.
2
@dmg The problem with your comment is that it forgets the Holocaust. Hitler was not engaged in a theological disput with Judaism; rather, he sought to annihilate an entire PEOPLE. Israel as a "secular" state, protecting Jews as a people is, unfortunately bound up with a theocracy. That dualism between political peoplehood and religion has always existed in Torah (is the prophecy of Moses intended to create a universal religion where all humans are the children of a single god or is it intended to establish a separate political community of the Israelites??) Attempts to straddle this duality are always going to be "compromised".
2
"...If anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism are meaningfully distinct (I think they are not), the human consequences of the latter are direr..."
I have very serious moral and ethical issues with this statement.
For starters, this is the classic conflation that Zionists have designed to completely shut down any debate - responsible or otherwise - having to do with Israel. It is not democratic.
Secondly, it is possible to hold - as I do - that nation states are becoming increasingly obsolete. States based on religion or ethnicity have been crucibles for war for millennia, and are obsolete for this reason alone. In this emerging anthropocene era, the war we should be fighting is against our collective behaviors that are causing changes in the climate that will make the earth we share unsuitable for all of us.
1
We should clarify that since Israel is a nation-state, specially set aside for the Jewish people, to push an anti-zionist message in the modern world, is certainly anti-Jewish. Does that mean that there cannot be a two-solution? No. There can be a two-state solution, but there is not a solution that involves the dissolution of a nation-state for a specific ethnicity. The ethnicities that live within that nation-state can be expanded as necessary based upon the legislators of those states.
2
We all know that Israel exists in a very dangerous neighborhood. And American policy has been ironclad over the last fifty years in guaranteeing Israeli security.
No country in the world has received as much financial, diplomatic and political support as Israel has. And this will continue.
But what Stephen's intentionally omits from his piece are the different faces of Anti-zionism. One believes that it's still 1948 and a Jewish state should not exist in the former territory of Palestine.
But the vast majority of the current Anti-zionist movement in the world today fully recognizes the right of the state of Israel to exist within safe and secure borders.
And therein lies the real issue. Israel is constantly changing its borders and they do so unilaterally through a process of annexation and ethnic cleansing.
Stephen's, by exclusively emphasizing Israel's real security concerns implicitly endorses this policy of gradual annexation.
There should be no contradiction between Israeli security and Palestinian security. The map of two separate states has been on the table for 25 years.
The US should endorse the map and guarantee Israel security by deploying a peace keeping force in the new State of Palestine.
If the presence of US troops has kept the peace between North and South Korea, we can keep the peace between Israel and Palestine.
When this happens no one will have to worry about tunnels. Until this contradiction is resolved neither side will be secure
178
@drspock
I believe in a two-state solution, though I worry that Hezbollah would not recognize it. I also believe that Netanyahu is a lightening rod for anti-Semites and anti-Zionists in the West. I wish the Israelis would remove him from office.
Oh, and I consider myself to be a Zionist.
12
Surely the commenter understands that these tunnels are between Lebanon and the Galille, and are no less than 35 miles from the West Bank at its closest point?
Hezbollah's statements and actions are not related to Israel's actions in the West Bank and the plight of the Palestinians there. Both Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon have been crystal clear that a creation of a Palestinian state alongside a Jewish state of Israel will not quell their crusade against the Jews; rather the Jewish state and the Jews in that state must be destroyed fully.
Neither Israel's actions in the West Bank not Hezbollah's actions on the border of the Galilee practically impact the other, other than to stir up emotions and create political cover.
It is important for social activists and armchair political scientists to understand the distinction between these fronts. To be anti-occupation is not necessarily anti-Zionistic. To be sure, many prominent Israelis are proud Zionists and firmly anti-occupation.
Rather, Stephens is opposing those who advocate against Israel's entire right to exist, even in it's pre-1967 territory.
33
@drspock
"the vast majority of the current Anti-zionist movement in the world today fully recognizes the right of the state of Israel to exist within safe and secure borders"
Quite the contrary. Anti-Zionists, by definition object to the existence of Israel as a Jewish majority state and to its self-definition.
"When this happens no one will have to worry about tunnels. Until this contradiction is resolved neither side will be secure"
There is no territorial issue between Israel and Lebanon. Israel withdrew from Lebanon in 2000 and the border was marked by the UN (and still protected by the UN). Still tunnels are being dug. Point is that anti-Zionists really want the destruction of the state (and possibly murder of its citizens) which is Stephens' point.
"the presence of US troops has kept the peace between North and South Korea" Hardly reassuring given the current state of affairs. Also note UN troops are at the border between Lebanon and Israel right now.
35
Ancestral homeland? Debatable. And if that's true why not be a robust and visible supporter of "first peoples" around the world.
3
As a Jewish anti-Zionist I want to add this fact. Those of us who want one Palestine from the sea to the Jordan River want a land that recognizes the rights of all its inhabitants, not just a chosen few, i.e. the Jews. Peace will come when Israelis and the world recognize that the road to peace is to recognize the rights of ALL -- Jews, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, non-believers. All of us. As long as Jews deny rights to Palestinians, tunnels will be built, rockets will be fired, retaliation will continue.
312
@Jamie Jackson
What are your views on the existence of Vatican? Saudi Arabia and the many Arab States that repress minorities? The Islamic Republic of Iran, minority's rights anyone? China which brutally represses its minorities? People are their thoughts and actions...singleing out the Jewish state (the oblivious Democracy among these) is an action. When I was little at religious school I was taught that action is scapegoating.
72
Unfortunately, even if Palestinians in the West Bank were to recieve full rights, and even if Palestinians in Israel were to recieve fully equal treatment de facto (their rights already are equal de jure), the tunnels would still be dug from Lebanon and Gaza.
64
@Marc
On what do you base this supposition?
13
The gaping flaw in this piece is to treat all "anti-Zionists" as though they were the murderous, Nasrallah types. They come in all flavors and sizes, some of who may have disagreed with the establishment of the State of Israel but accept it as a reality now.
Labels are only meaningful to those who want to push people into one box or another, attributing a common set of characteristics to all.
145
@Jerry
Your post would be relevant, had we not seen over and over Palestinians dress their infant children as Suicide Bombers for Halloween......
Palestinians do not want equality, they want the death of every Israeli.
10
@Paul P.
All Palestinians?
4
“When you find yourself on the same side as Hassan Nasrallah, Louis Farrakhan and David Duke on the question of a country’s right to exist, it’s time to re-examine every opinion you hold.”
So...
What happens when you find yourself on the same side as Donald Trump, Steve King and co?
3
It's time to discuss the rank hypocrisy of progressives who support the BDS movement while conveniently ignoring it's close association with Holocaust deniers. Many of the founding goals of the BDS movement, along with many of the strategies employed in BDS campaigns are anti-Semitic. Many individuals involved in BDS campaigns are driven by fierce opposition to Israel’s very existence as a Jewish state. The predominant drive of the BDS campaign & its leadership is not criticism of Israeli policies, but the demonization & delegitimization of Israel. Guess what? Holocaust deniers share the same exact goals. It should surprise no one the BDS finds it it's strongest support in the Middle East which is also the most receptive audience for those who deny the Holocaust. In 2006 an international cast of established Holocaust deniers & implacable foes of Israel were given an open forum by Iran to support Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's contention that the murder of six million Jews by the Nazis was a "myth". Among the attendees: David Duke former KKK member. In May 2018 Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, was pressured to apologized after he suggested that historical persecution of European Jews was caused by their conduct, not by their religion. A quick glance at Arabic social media shows it’s not just Abbas – Holocaust denial is widespread in the Arab world. This close association with the BDS movement can't be denied. Like it or not the majority of Anti Zionists are Anti-Semitic .
6
One cannot write a serious piece on anti-Zionism without making a clear distinction between those who use it as a shielf to cover their anti-Semitism and those who see Israel's present government as racist, anti-democratic, and following policies that will end the Jewish state, hence oppose it. The right wing pretends anyone who opposes Netanyahu and his cults is anti-Semitic. Don't fall for their garbage.
1
The Zionists took the land by force and have every right to keep it by force. What I have never heard is a cogent explaination as to why it is the responsibility of the U.S. taxpayer to foot the bill.
1
This piece is disgusting. A group of people were driven from their ancestral homeland because they were the wrong religion. They were made refugees, forced to live in ghettos corralled within border walls and fences, and are the victims of hate crimes on land that had belonged to their parents and grandparents. Now any criticism of this horrific situation is supposed to be labeled anti-semitism? You have to be kidding.
4
The tunnels have been known to Israel for a long time. Bibi needed a distraction from his and his wife's legal problems so what better way than to show Israel he is the only one between them and destruction than to make a show of digging up the tunnels.
Israel's threat to its existence is internal and demographic. Palestinians burgeoning growth, the fact the Ultra Orthodox and Zionist settlers will be a plurality in a few generations both will be very destabilizing and could lead to an exodus of the best and brightest secular Jews.
2
A major weapon of the propagandist is to invent a strawman and then beat the bejesus out of it. It is surprising to find a writer as talented as Mr. Stephens depend so glaringly on such a cheap device. In this article, he invents a group called the Anti-Zionists and energetically dismembers it. I'm sure there are many people that fit his target but we would be better served if he attacked them than some fictional group he has invented and given a name that lacks a clear meaning. Perhaps the real problem is with the word "Zionism". What does that mean in today's world? Is Zionism synonymous with contemporary Israel, its government and the values it expresses in its various behaviors? If so, I am an anti-Zionist but I don't fit all those despicable traits that exercize Mr. Stephens. Unfortunately, like most pieces of propaganda, this article creates much heat but no light.
3
Israel's problems were "baked in" by its founding. Hertzl's original Zionism was "a land without people for a people without land."
There being no land without people other than Antarctica it shifted to seizing the Palestine; fast-forward to today.
Indeed there are a lot of people who really hate Israel and its jews.
I'm not sure what point Bret Stephens is really arguing? He seems to be implying some variation of the fallacy of falsely-excluded middle ... arguing that if you oppose Israel's continued occupation of the west bank and creeping annexation via settlements that you are identical to Hezbollah? Is that your argument Bret? Really?
Or is it that Bret really believes an intrinsic "right of return to one's ancestral homeland" includes the right to throw everyone else out, and demands everyone else believe that too?
Bret, you are a child of the world. Your paternal grandfather changed the family name from Erlich. Your parents were secular Jews of Ashkenazic descent, you were raised in Mexico City. The truth of it, from just looking at you, is that your "ancestral homeland" is like mine, the miasma of Europe.
Or is your theory that adherence to some old book and traditions gives special rights? Not in America!
By your theory we must all decamp so that Native Americans (only pureblooded Native Americans mind you!) regain their native homeland, unpolluted with people they don't want.
I'm not leaving; your theory is crackpot and self-serving.
7
When you find yourself on the same side as corrupt Netanyahu and his buddies in Saudi Arabia and in the U.S., it's time to examine every opinion you hold. Who is finding fault with the "good" here?
3
Jews are unique in the liberal community in that they must pass a values and religious test before being accepted. Never in a million years would a hijab-wearing female student be questioned about how her Muslim religion will affect her ability to make unbiased choices in the student government. A Jew was (see: UCLA 2015). Never in a million years would a hijab-wearing female student be grilled about her feelings on Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Indonesia, or any of the dozens of islamic countries. Yet a Jew will be asked to do the same about Israel...and there is only one right answer.
Systematic oppression of minorities (racial, religions, LGBT) are ignored by the left when it comes to Israel. Otherwise, they wouldn't be supporting a group of people who hate homosexuals, deny women the same rights as men, and despise people of other races/creeds. The lesbian who angrily protests Israel would be persecuted and maybe killed in Palestine.
The actual genocides committed by China and Malaysia, the execution of innocent people in the name of Duarte's "cleansing", and many other atrocities are ignored so Israel can be endlessly flogged. How convenient!
5
As a conservative (well, libertarian) who reads NYT comments just to see what progressives are thinking, I totally support Israel's right to exist despite the hatred of terrorists all around them. There is no moral equivalency here.
4
Give it a break. Criticizing the policies of Netanyahu and his Government, the realities of the "temporary" occupation, does not make one an anti-Semite or (even worse, that dreadful shibboleth hurled by the far right) a self-hating Jew. Neither does it endorse Moslem extremism.
Name one country in the Western world where our fellow Jews live under as much pressure as they do in Israel, the schnorrer state. How many Israelis have emigrated, by choice, to the US, Canada, western Europe?
A suburban apartment complex built on somebody else's land is not a "settlement." Remember ol' Abe Lincoln? "A house divided cannot stand."
2
Excellent, well-written piece! Psychologist Abraham Maslow
once said that a pathology of the Left is its knee-jerk
support for the underdog, "however evil he may be."
5
Anti-Zionism is a legal, morally legitimate and credible political stance.
5
Agreed. Its sad to say that in today's world we are fighting like old time. Do NOT agree with either side for all these murders. Israel being more strong, they do have more responsibility to protect and help needy. Jews forgot what happened to them and in past and doing same things to others.
With understanding we can live in peace again.
Thank you Bret Stephens. So easy for Americans to criticize Israel; they just don't get it.
Imagine you, as an American, lived in New Jersey, and every other state in the US was full of enemies who have attacked you repeatedly since you came into existence (it's your ancestral homeland, after all), murdered hundreds / thousands of your fellow New Jerseyans. And that the terrorist leaders who live in New York, Pennsylvania, etc. constantly vow to kill every last one of you.
5
This op-ed could just as easily be titled "When Pro-Zionism steals your land end expels your family".
1
Excellent column
4
There is nothing only an abyss; no pedigree nor any elevated or concealed argument that can possibly justify the right of anyone to pass judgement on the right of Jews to live and reside in Israel. Anti Zionism has many ridiculous faces. From BDS ideologues who really do not understand the nihilism behind the concept of boycotting Israel; to ultra-ultra orthodox hassidim that deny worldly meaning to a political collective called Israel. Both extremes espouse nonsense and believe they have a right to approve or deny this or that human collectives over others. How dumb is that!
3
Long before Israel as a state existed anti-semites sought (and partially succeeded through the murder of 6 million) to wipe out the lives of Jews. Anti-semitism and the blood lies against Jews in Christian teachings laid the groundwork for marginalization and then persecution for centuries culminating in the Holocaust. Only after this event did the world recognize the legitimacy of the quest of the Jewish people for self-determination which dates back to the other 19th century nationalist movements (which also succeeded). The desire of some Islamic terrorist groups to kill the Jews and destroy their country is not new, and the Jews have determined to organize and fight back. No BDS movement, no guerilla war, no wave of terrorist attacks will stop the Jews from surviving or destroy Israel -- the lesson of appeasement and assimilation toward those who hate you from the 20th century has been absorbed. When it really comes down to it, you either have your own country or suffer the way of death and disappearance. Anti-Zionism is convenient, for if you hate a group one reason is as good as another to fight against them.
116
@michaelf
"You either have your own country or suffer the way of death or disappearance."
I see you live in New York, Michael, as do I. And I presume you, like I, am an American. Jews here are suffering from death and disappearance? Actually, Jews are far safer here than in Israel. Why? Because this is not "a Christian state, homeland for the Christians." Or the white people (although you might get a argument from some white Christian Trump supporters). Once your state proclaims it belongs exclusively to one racial/religious/ethnic group, as Israel has, the people who don't equally belong to it tend (very reasonably) to get a bit upset. In Israel's case, it's about half the population that lives under Israel's boot.
8
@michaelf
Equating anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism is itself a blood libel. You put Israel above any law, any standards of civil behavior, any standard of moral behavior.
12
@michaelf It would be nice if you recognized, as more and more Israeli historians do, that the establishment of Israel was accompanied by the ethnic cleansing of the Arab population of the territory of the new state. What can be done to correct these injustices, or do you consider that just a small price for a major victory?
8
Yes, Israel was established as a Jewish state which allowed those others who were residing in the area at the time, to continue to live & become citizens. How many Jews do you think are still living in the Middle East & North Africa outside of Israel? Answer: Down from 900,000 to now 5,500.
Why does the Left support Muslims so much and Jews so little? Are you in favor of FGM? Death to homosexuals? Death to anyone who says any thing negative about the government (whichever country, your choice of numerous ones but, sorry, not Israel), or female subjugation? How does your mindset allow you to support this or, if you don't, why don't you vehemently protest? My mind boggles at the hypocrisy.
Arab Israelis, when researched and asked said if they'd rather live in Israel or a new "Palestinian" country replied, in the majority, that they'd rather stay in Israel. Hmmm.
4
Finally someone has the courage and real sense to rebut the previous op-ed from Michelle Goldberg!
Anti-Zionism = Anti-Semitism . Period. Don't let any one tell you differently. Jews without Israel would not be safe in any country - including the USA
Long live Israel! -
7
Facts, history, and context apparently don’t matter when the subject is Israel.
It seems to be some kind of frenzied psychosis to blame Israel for every single setback, especially among the Left.
I’ll quote my Israeli daughter: “I feel terrible when I hear about the death of a Palestinian child. But I don’t want them to come here and kill my children first.”
7
Bret sees only half of this.
Zionism at its best was creative. All progress such as highways and urban redevelopment right here at home requires some element of eminent domain, making way for the new.
Zionism made a whole country. It was decided at the time by the people with that power and right that a country was needed to be built there. We are half a century past reconsidering that basic decision, with too many lives and too much else invested in the decision to disregard that it was made and final.
Yet eminent domain requires fairness too. It must be accompanied by payment of "just compensation."
Was that done? Never. Not even a little bit. There have been instead various justifications, "someone else did something like that to some of our people in third countries."
Bret, if you throw me out of my house, tear it down, and build you own in its place, then tunnels I might dig would be the least of your worries. And I'd be justified.
Peace is necessary. Peace requires justice. There has been no justice, nor even any real justice very contemplated.
445
@Mark Thomason
"Bret, if you throw me out of my house, tear it down, and build you own in its place, then tunnels I might dig would be the least of your worries. And I'd be justified."
Hezbollah is case you forgot is in Lebanon. Hezbollah terrorists go home every night, unless they are in Syria killing there on Iran and Russia's bidding.
Peace btw does not require "justice" which is subjective. It requires the willingness to reach a deal.
36
@Mark Thomason
Gee, one of your better posts at least half of it. Let’s get to the second half. I think you know all too well that while some Palestinians were pushed out an even greater majority left out of fear. It’s not a blame game. In a war the non-combatants leave. In the Palestinian case their leaders were first to leave. As the war ended these Palestinians found themselves not outside Palestine but in a different county of Palestine. And while I will not excuse the lackluster approach by the Israeli government to solve the problems. It is just as true if not more so that Palestinian leadership for too many years insisted on a replacement state as the only solution. Even now Hamas, Islamic Jihad and many if not most Palestinian groups still espouse a replacement state. Justice for sure is required for all people not just one people.
41
@Mark Thomason
Peace requires 2 sides and a reliable negotiating partner/adversary.
Peace for land has not only been offered but carried out w negligible results (Sinai w Egypt’s-actually was successful,Gaza w Hamas-a failure). Other attempts for West Bank treaties were rejected by PLO and other Arab parties.
Using your analogy, if you lethally attacked me from your house and then ran when your attack was turned back, I would have every right to occupy your house to prevent you from returning to attack me again AND even if we negotiated a peace I would still claim the right to build a barrier around your house to prevent you from a sneak attack against me.
Let’s face it, the Palestinian leaders whether hezballah hamas or PLO have shown no interest in peace-unfortunately and much to their people’s loss.
41
If I were a Zionist, I would explain why rather than dismiss all other alternatives.
The anti-Israel arguments are always met with the 'anti-semite card'. The actions of Israelis against the Palestinians, since the creation of the state of Israel, cannot be justified by rational argument so the narrative is changed by accusations of anti-semitism. Israeli apologists have found such accusations as an effective means to stifle anti-Israel proponents by deflection of the subject.
The fact is that, according to Palestinians, Israel is a terrorist state enabled by the U.S--and they have good reason to believe it.
Mr Stephens. I wonder who originally owned that house where those tunnels are being dug under?
2
One central feature of "Zionism" seems to be the continuous encroachment of Israeli settlements on to land belonging to Palestine and the Palestinians. As I searched for the most apt word to describe this quest, a German word came quickly to mind: "Lebensraum".
How ironic. Sadly, how true!
2
Thank you for this piece! It is an excellent response to Michelle Goldberg's fatuous column about Anti-Semitism and Anti-Zionism. You will have the nutjobs and the fanatics coming out of the woodwork to point out how Israel is different - but in the end, anti-Zionism is calling for the elimination of a state and what happens to its (Jewish) citizens matters not at all in light of Justice with a capital J. How this is justice for a people deprived of a haven after 2,000 years of persecution and genocide beats me.
5
Mr. Stephens posits “What’s worse: To be denied membership in a country club because you’re Jewish, or driven from your ancestral homeland and sovereign state for the same reason?” But what if we phrased the question in a slightly different way, like “what’s worse: to be denied membership in Israel for being a Palestinian, or driven by the Israeli government and army from your ancestral homeland and sovereign state for the same reason?”
That is the reality both Jewish and Palestinian inhabitants of Israel confront every day. Jewish citizens have to deal with Islamic fanatics intent on eliminating them. But Palestinians have to deal with living in a huge prison erected and controlled by their Jewish counterparts.
3
There was no peace in the area prior to June, 1967 either. There are people like Hezbollah boss Nasrallah who seem to live for nothing but the destruction of the Jews. No mention of what a new state will be like, just the destruction of Israel.
I certainly hope the next generation descending from terrorists will see terrorism and the destruction of Israel is a lousy idea.
4
As the eminent truth teller George Galloway puts it the case of the Balfour Declaration is, "One people (the British) giving to a 2cd people (the Jews) the nation of a 3rd people (the Palestinians)."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8LZhTIZVhw
Throughout history that would be cause enough for war, pile on the Nakbah, & subsequent rough treatment by Israelis of Palestinian refugees over many decades, and you have cause for even terrorism as we have seen.
Is that what you were looking for? An explanation? Or is there supposed to be no explanation for clawing your way to a sure death at the hands of oppressors but that Palestinians are animals not people? That may be the point, and one I reject, and one many Jewish analysts of the situation reject too.
3
The author forgets to mention the violence from the Israeli side towards Lebanon. For instance that in December 1981 alone, the fake "Front for the Liberation of Lebanon From Foreigners“ (in reality a set up by the Israeli secret service, as Ronen Bergman detailed in the NYT Magazine) detonated eighteen bombs in cars or on motorcycles, bicycles, or donkeys near PLO offices or Palestinian concentrations in Lebanon, causing many scores of deaths. This was part of a plan by Sharon, who hoped that these operations would provoke Arafat into attacking Israel, which could then respond by invading Lebanon. Arafat saw through Israel’s strategy however, and made sure that PLO members did not respond. Israel nevertheless invaded Lebanon on 6 June 1982, whereby between 5,000–8,000 civilians were killed.
1
Before the Modern State of Israel, almost 900,000 Jews lived in the Middle East and North Africa. Now there are only 5,500. When Jordan (created at the same time as Israel and given 70% of the land mass), took over what is now called "The West Bank" they destroyed the Mount of Olives, the oldest Jewish cemetery in the world, and used the Jewish gravestones to line the floors and walls of latrines for their soldiers. They destroyed 51 synagogues that had been in this area since who knows when, and turned to rubble the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. Talk about ethnic cleansing!
Yet Jordan, a state created for Muslims (70% of the land mass as I mentioned above), is never spoken of. But perhaps the far left with its Muslim romance would rather castigate Israel.
5
Any piece about Israel, regardless of the actual topic, seems to bring out the close-minded commenters regurgitating talking points that are demonstrably false (Gaza as a prison or ghetto, Israel practices apartheid) or deliberately obtuse (is any criticism of Israeli policy antisemitic?).
This article is primarily about the Hezbollah terror group and its "heroic" leader - who has been in hiding for over a decade. It is the de facto ruler of Lebanon, a country which since 1948 has through operation of law made Palestinian Arabs second class residents. They are prohibited from becoming citizens, restricted in their employment, educational and living opportunities. This is real life apartheid and ghettoization - yet those baying most loudly about Palestinian rights when Israel is the target are strangely silent.
Since the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in 1918, Arabs now rule 99.75% of its Middle East territory. Only one indigenous people succeeded in re-establishing its sovereignty in less than a quarter of its internationally recognized historical homeland: the Jewish people. As for the Palestinian Arabs under the “Occupation" since 1967, their life expectancy nearly doubled, their towns are all electrified and have potable water, and the entirety of the Palestinian university system was created. As for Israeli Arabs, they have more rights than their co-religionists under Arab rule.
Yet, only Israel is demonized while Arabs are infantilized: Antisemitism meet Orientalism.
281
So well said. The problem I see with many of the comments here is their lack of the historical information. So many claims that the Jews simply marched into the area, destroyed the ‘indigenous people’, took over their homes and ethnically cleansed them. This is precisely what a lack of knowledge, and, perhaps, biases, will produce.
30
@Charlie in NY
Gaza is a prison. Israel does not allow Palestinians to escape Gaza and move to the West bank even though both parts are Palestine.
Israel does practice apartheid. There are two sets of laws in the West Bank. Israeli law applies to any Israel in the occupied territories while Israel applies military law to any Palestinian. It certainly doesnt help that Israel calls itself the Jewish state and makes clear that the system is designed not for all Israelis, but Jews.
23
@Joe Surely, the Egyptians and Jordanians are the ones who don't allow Palestinians (who have 2 separate governments BTW) to pass from one entity to the other.
15
Bret seems to forget that Hezbollah is born directly from the discriminatory, Zionist policies that have denied an entire people their right to self-determination.
So it's no stretch to say that Hezbollah exists because of Zionist crimes.
IF Israel wants to be seen as a just and responsible actor then it can't be an de facto apartheid state.
But if Israel chooses de facto apartheid - or ethnic cleansing (as it has done before) - then I ask you, sir: What does it then mean to be Zionist? And why would anyone want to stand for that??
4
This sounds right.
Part of my family had to flee their homes in Turkey for Greece and beyond during the "exchange of populations" at the beginning of the last century. They didn't spend their lives funding terrorism or producing male children who would become terrorists and shoot up and stab Turks in formerly Greek areas.
The state of Israel was created in a historically Jewish area where in fact lots of Jews had for centuries been, and still were, living. The Israel as chartered by the United Nations was a tiny, irregularly shaped Jewish enclave in a larger Palestine. Had not Muslims converged upon and tried to exterminate the Jews there, Israel would have stayed tiny.
Just sayin', as the saying goes.
4
Excellent column! I am a moderate democrat who wouldn't vote for a Republican if my life depended on it, but I am so tired of the unfathomable hypocrisy of the left when it comes to Israel.
Hamas also digs terror tunnels, and has refused to renounce their charter which calls for the extermination of all Jews in Israel. Every last one of them must be murdered.
Yet the left never addresses it. Ever! They have no answer for it, so they talk around it, ignore it, bring up Netanyahu (who I'm no fan of), etc.
How do you make peace with a group that is 1000% committed in word and deed to killing you and your children?
Can someone answer that?
4
Shorter version: you're either with us or you're against us.
Tell me Bret, am I allowed to disagree with any of the current Israeli government's policies without being labeled an anti-Semite? Or will you throw me in with Hezbollah?
4
Why not distribute the confiscated property of Jews expelled from Arab lands to the Palestinians? Seems like a simple and just solution.
2
What happens in Jerusalem stays in Jerusalem! I’m old enough to remember who killed peace-seeking Yitzhak Rabin — and it wasn’t the Palestinians.
The point of this article is to counter the “anti-Zionist vogue,” apparently the hippest new club in Brooklyn, by saying they don’t understand the ground level realities in Israel. But the radicalization of Zionism is as stark as the radicalization of Saudi Arabia and Iran. You can see it here everywhere — from Jared Kushner to “black cube.” And it has come back to America to merge with the crazy far right — in the form Donald Trump and Steve Bannon. If you want to act like an apartheid South Africa, don’t be surprised if we treat you like South Africa.
BTW, Jerusalem should be a world city protected by all. Jews and Muslims should look at New York City and America, where they live together fine. Follow Maimonides, who said charity is worth more than the Ten Commandments put together. If you aren’t part of the solution you are part of the problem.
7
WOW! this Opinion piece is anti-facts. Israel sustains a brutal, illegal occupation of Palestinian land. That is a fact. The IDF, Israeli Defense Forces, have a very heavy-handed, and often fatal presence for Palestinians living in Gaza. The situation is a nightmare for Palestinians. The only solution is to end the occupation. To criticize Israels' heinous actions towards Palestinians is NOT the definition of anti-semitic; it is patriotism.
6
Thank you Bret! This is a point so many well meaning people miss. Anti-Zionist is a thinly veiled term for people who want the destruction of Israel but know that they can't come out and say it. The rising aggression against Jewish students on US campuses is becoming acceptable in the guise of supporting Palestinian rights.
The problem for me is not the rising antisemitism in the guise of being anti-zionist, (the antisemitism was always there - it is just that the liberals have joined the bandwagon) it is also the fact that Israel itself is becoming harder and harder to support when they have a megalomaniac clinging to power. It is a shame that Netanyahu's fear mongering tactics have kept him in power because what Israel needs most is new leadership. The world judges a country based on it's leaders.
106
@Diana "If a world judges a country based on it's leaders" then all Americans are white supremacists, and are willing to incarcerate children whose parents seek only shelter from countries at war - and all Americans seek only to gain power while the needy grow more hungry in order to make their country a better place for the rich.
5
@Diana,
It's far too easy to blame Netanyahu and certainly no excuse, especially what you say initially, to hold anything
but the naivte of so many American Jews, impelled by some of the most vicious anti-Israel propaganda ever right in our own country from Israel haters like Nora
Erakat and Linda Sosoros, responsible for the impasse
between Israel and the Palestinians. Most significant
is that he holds onto power by a parliamentary majority
of just one vote, which says more about Israel itself
than anything mentioned in the foregoing article. For given what's directed against Israel both here and
in world bodies it's not surprising that so many Israelis,
many of whom despise the settlements, feel they have
little alternative but to vote for him. Netanyahu himself
would fully appreciate being able to government without
the yoke of the settler based parties and the ultra religious around his neck.
3
@SN Exactly what I meant. Take a look at what the foreign newspapers are saying about us.
I find the point here a bit vague. Do you mean to imply that any opposition to Israeli public policy is essentially support for Hezbollah”s goals? This would probably be news to the 40% or so of Israelis who still support a 2-state solution. By accepting Hezbollah”s existential terms in gauging our support for Israel, we make discussion and compromise over specific policy decisions ever more difficult.
423
@Eric Leonidas Brett Stephens makes a clear distinction between criticizing the policies of any particular Israeli administration and advocating that the state itself should not exist.
What is significant about Hezbollah's specific threat at this moment is the fact that there are still those in the West who will claim that, despite its open call for the genocide of the Jewish people, Hezbollah is somehow only about "justice" for the Palestinan Arab people.
Marc Lamont Hill depicts himself as an expert on the Arab Israeli conflict, yet claims that he meant "from the river to the sea" as a call for a single state in which both Arabs and Jews would have equal rights. This is particularly absurd given that barely 10% of the Palestinan Arab people believe in giving Jews equal rights in such a state, and that there is more support among them for expelling all Jews.
This antipathy towards co-existence is precisely what has been taught in Palestinan Arab schools, despite the seemingly historic promises of the Oslo Accords. Even the word "Israel" is not used, and 84% of any depiction of Jews in the texts is negative or hostile. The 1% out of depictions of Jews that are positive is limited to Biblical figures who bear the unusual distinction of also being Islamic prophets (Abraham = Ibrahim), which effectively means that there are no positive depictions of Jews are all.
Supporting Palestinan Arab rights need not include a denial of Israeli rights, nor ignoring Arab hatred.
116
@Eric Leonidas There is nothing in this piece that even hints at this interpretation. One can thus infer that you either didn't actually read the piece- or you read it, and are either "a disingenuous ideologue or the most obtuse".
36
@Eric Leonidas. I don't think Mr Stephens is implying this. As one of the Israelis who support a two state solution,I certainly distinguish between justified criticism of the current Netanyahu govt and those who justify the actions of the enemies who want to destroy Israel people like Marc Lamont Hill who repeated a Hamas slogan. Hill is not alone among American leftists. And yes,hearing suicide bombers explode themselves from my living room more than once,waking up to hear that my doctor's mentor and his 20 year old daughter were slaughtered by a suicide bombers on the eve of her wedding etc. does give me a different perspective from my American friends and relatives sitting in their comfortable living rooms reading the NY Review of books.
52
Well this article is a breath of fresh air!!! All too often anti-Zionism is a pretext for anti-Semitism with the distinction claimed to make the opinion respectable. As this article shows, all too often anti-Zionism is simply a prettier well of saying kill the Jews, a position no one who claims to be moral should espouse.
5
It doesn't matter how on target Bret Stephens is. This newspaper's orientation will remain the same-that is oppose Israel at all opportunities- and opponents of Israel, Zionism and Judaism will continue with their venom.
One thing is certain, Haters will continue to Hate.
7
The familiar arguments against Israel immediately gather among NYT Comments whenever a discussion of the real meaning of anti-Zionism is essayed: opposition to Israel means only opposition to the Netanyahu government; anti-Zionism is about the settlers; shouldn’t we treat all parties to the conflict the same way in this era when all nationalism is politically suspect?
Mr. Stephens asks that we consider the real actions and consequences of the policy shift anti-Zionists demand. This seems reasonable. It also seems reasonable to ask why it is that Palestinians and Arab states have historically rejected compromise solutions that would accept the existence of Israel. Western anti-Zionists who overlook this anti-Semitic history of the past 70 years display a commitment to ignorance of history.
245
@A
Palestinians and Arab states have NOT rejected compromise solutions that would accept the existence of Israel. In 1993, the PLO recognized Israel's right to exist in peace, accepted UN Security Council resolutions 242 and 338, and rejected "violence and terrorism".
In 2002 the Arab Peace Initiative, which was endorsed by the Arab League's 22 members outlined comprehensive steps to ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Arab leaders collectively offered Israel recognition of its right to exist and a normalization of diplomatic ties in exchange for its complete withdrawal from Arab lands captured since 1967.
If your defence of Israel requires stating patent falsehoods your position is weak indeed....
28
@A
Israel has likewise refused compromises with the Arab states. For good reason, they have the land who dont need Arab recognition.
2
@A
Israel keeps offering Palestinians a "state" where Israel controls the borders, hill tops, waterways, and major highways. That is not a state. That is a protectorate like Lesotho in South Africa. That is apartheid.
A two state solution requires two actual states. The Evangelicals in the U.S. that support Israel are adamant that a country should control its own borders. I agree, and so do Palestinians.
Opposing Israeli government policy is not anti-Semitism. Many of us oppose Israeli government policy because we want Israel to succeed. Bret Stephens' attempt to conflate anti-Semites who want to destroy Israeli and the Jews with anyone who opposes Israeli government policy is a transparent logical fallacy, and will not work in the modern world.
U.S. right wing Evangelicals have no problem with anti-Semitism. Trump repeats the memes and conspiracy theories of white Supremacist terrorists and called a column of Neo-Nazis shouting "Jews will not replace us," "fine people," after making Jew jokes in front of the Republican Jewish Coalition.
They do not support the rights of the Jewish People. They want Israel United to fulfill their Biblical Prophesies. After Israel is united, it is to be attacked in world war.
The progressives in the U.S. are not anti-Semites. They are the actual friends that the state of Israel needs. The fact that they oppose Israeli policy should be a wake up call for the Jewish People that want Israel to succeed.
Don't be used by U.S. evangelicals.
19
This is pure propaganda. The writer elaborates upon an extremely faulty assumption, covering up evident truths.
I'm an Israeli, Jewish, Anti-Zionist. I have very little in common with Hassan Nasralla.
My anti-zionism - and the anti-zionism that all my Israeli peers and fellow activists promote - is exactly what the author dismissed in passing: the reformation of Israel from a racist state that differentiates its citizens based on their racial and religious identities. And yes, while we're at it - from the river to the sea.
Even if we set aside the atrocious suffocation of Gaza, israel's policy towards it Arab citizens cannot be called anything but racist: there are rules denying Arab municipalities budgets, rules denying Arab families entry to "Jewish" towns, rules denying Arabs work in government, and the list goes on.
I will assume that the writer is not "pro-racism", and so, for him, one might be able to weed out these racist laws from the generally legitimate idea of the state of Israel. The problem is that a country that calls itself as "Jewish democracy", that is, an "ethnic democracy", is not a democracy at all. What if the U.S.A would be called a "Caucasian Democracy", and vying to give its "minorities" equal standing by law, and call itself the USCA - the United States of Caucasian America. One would certainly have to call for a reform, a free America from the Atlantic to the Pacific. And that one would rightly identify as anti-USCA. This is Anti-Zionism.
192
@maybe otherwise
Bravo! Precisely - I identify exactly as you do, and agree w/ every single word. When will people accept the truth and not be blinded by absurd "collective memory" they've been brainwashed with. Needless to say he says nothing of Jewish Israeli anti-Zionists who live in Israel, who like us, are not anti-Semites. Oh, now it's clear - he was the Editor in chief of the Jerusalem Post - that explains everything - right-wing Zionist propaganda. Wake up people -- Zionism = Racism, and anti-Zionism is Not anti-semitism. Justice for ALL from the river to sea.
10
@maybe otherwise
"...an ethnic democracy is not a democracy at all."
Exactly. "Democracy" presupposes equality under the law. Government based on ethnicity presupposes some people are "more equal" than others, as George Orwell put it.
9
@maybe otherwise Except the term Zionism was created before Netanyahu and means nothing about the country's leadership. It is simply about whether Israel has a right to exist. I share your feelings about reformation there. But as someone who thinks that Israel should exist, perhaps that makes me a Zionist. Hardliners don't seem to think so.
5
This article presents us with a regrettably one-sided version of events. There are plenty of grievances to go around: nobody in this terrible and never-ending conflict comes out smelling like a rose. Something must change.
As Roosevelt pointed out in his 1941 Four Freedoms speech before Congress, in America we believe in the separation of church and state. This wise principle has saved us from wars and intractible confrontations. Furthermore, we strongly believe "... that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness ..." It follows that all, Palestinians included, have unalienable human rights. These to us irrenounceable ideals have never been easily attainable -- remember our own and most horrendous Civil War, fought by some to preserve, and by others to end slavery.
The deeper question is, who is willing to break this Middle Eastern spiral of never-ending violence?; a cycle of hatreds that has tied together and doomed both Palestinians and Israelis alike. Last one to try, Yitzhak Rabin, was murdered by a fanatic, a fanatic who was not Palestinian.
Shalom aleichem.
203
@Martin. And then Palestinians blew up commuter buses....
6
Wittingly or not, there is an important sleight of hand occurring here. Hardline Zionists (not a majority of Israelis) argue that any opposition to the state of Israel is anti-Zionist because Israel is a Jewish state (seemingly not recognizing that by the same logic any opposition to a Islamic state would necessarily anti-Islam). Then Stephens and others make the case that Anti-Zionism is "ideologically unique" and necessarily anti-semitic. Thus, it is claimed that any opposition to those oppressed by the state of Israel or others is merely concealed anti-semitism. In some cases, perhaps even many, opposition and hostilities toward Israel are, indeed, driven by anti-semitism. But, that is not to say that all opposition is anti-semitic as is now more ardently claimed by apologists. In this formulation there is no legitimate critique of the state of Israel, its policies or actions. It is reasonable to ask Mr. Stephens and others whether that is the intention: to try to insulate Israel against any opposition by painting all opposition as anti-semitic. If nothing else, Stephens and others should recognize that an ideological defense that brooks essentially no critique on the grounds that all critique is motivated by bias and prejudice is potentially quite dangerous. A state in which all opposition is delegitemized is arguably an authoritarian state, or on its way to becoming one.
279
@I don't know. sir- you think its a coincidence that the only state that should not be allowed to exist, pushed by unapologetic antisemites, just happens to be full of jews??? nothing to do with jews, huh? just pure politics, right?
uh huh. talk about sleight of hand. your opinion is utterly specious.
23
@I don't know
No one, as far as I know, objects to an "Islamic state." If anyone did, the Islamic state would ignore the objection, as Israel ignores objections to a Jewish state. Of course it is possible to criticize actions by the Israeli government any other Israelis do. It is, however, very hard to understand why American citizens, living in a country guilty of ongoing racism, support for tyrannies such as Saudi Arabia, the jailing of refugee children and much more, governed by Donald Trump, somehow feels that it has time and energy to criticize Israel. The criticism starts with critique of an Israeli policy and morphs into a criticism of Israel's foundation and existence. Yes, obviously, the vast majority of US based criticism of Israel is anti-Semitic.
20
@I don't know For anti-Zionism to not be anti-Semitism wouldn't you have to name other people's whose right to a state you also oppose? If it's only the Jews, Mr. I don't know, then...... how come?
19
I hate the current Israeli government, Bret, but I love you. Everything you've written here is sound.
5
Fairly standard Israeli propaganda, many members of groups are anti Semites so what ever is done opposing Zionist behaviour is Anti Semite. Since the subject is brought up about despicable people in Hezbollah lets balance it with some perspective. Senior members of the Israeli cabinet have actively supported transport of Palestinians. Trans[port is an Israeli euphemism for ethnic cleansing of the entire Palestinian population in the west bank. Hezbollah has attacked innocent Jews in other countries and historically have murdered an entire village of innocent Palestinians. The leaders of these killers were ultimately made prime ministers. Israel has used cluster bombs in built up areas in Lebanon. The Zionist project while pretending to support a two state solution has made it impossible while grabbing what little land the Palestinians had left. While no reasonable person should suggest the Israelis give back the land they have taken to for their state, but there was no reason to suggest this particular religious sect should be able to displace a population in order to build what they have called a Jewish state. There are plenty of religious groups that would like to do the same. So absolutely go after fanatics of Hezbollah but at the same time apply the same standards to Israel instead of subsidizing them and providing political cover.
The pretense that Israel is being given imbalanced coverage in comparison to the groups opposing them is farcical.
5
From the article: "... in recent days the Israeli Army has discovered at least three tunnels dug by Hezbollah and intended to infiltrate commandos under the border..."
I hope Fox picks up this story. It would be good for our wall-builder-in-chief to know that it's not difficult to tunnel under these walls.
3
@ShenBowen If Fox wanted to pick up the story of the terror tunnels into Israel out of Gaza (or the smuggling tunnels ending in Egypt for that matter), they could have done it long ago.
2
So, the tunnels under the northern border of Israel justify the open air prison of Gaza? The pretzel-like contortion of this argument occludes reality.
3
@jack- you and others who refer to Gaza as an open air prison blindly ignore history. Israel unilaterally withdrew all its citizens and soldiers from Gaza years ago and left greenhouses and other viable businesses. Palestinians had an opportunity to govern themselves and demonstrate their willingness to live peacefully alongside Israel. Instead, Hamas took over and have used tens of millions of dollars donated from
other countries to build tunnels and rockets. They launched another intifada which killed thousands of Israelis - imagine the comparative number of casualties in the US in view of their relative populations. Hamas has made it clear that it wants to destroy Israel and is willing to play a long waiting game to achieve that end. Palestinian textbooks don’t even include Israel in maps of the Mideast. If israel give up the West Bank
For a 2 state solution, Hamas will use those areas to launch new
Attacks against Israelis and
They will not need tunnels. I don’t like Netanyahu, but until palestinians demonstrate that they
want to live in peace with Israel, the status quo is the only alternative.
3
Semites aren't just Jews, but include Palestinians. Any reference to anti-Semitism should take that into account. The Palestinians are so genetically similar to Jews as to make differentiations extremely difficult. Indeed the early Zionists speculated that Palestinians (also considering their dietary and funerary practices)were the remnants of the Jews left behind during the diaspora.
Israel MUST stay. But its permanent borders must be delineated and legal. Israel was an invention of the UN, and is unique in that regard, so its annexation of territory, and illegal occupation and suppression of the people who live there, is a concern for us all.
The government of Israel must either allow enough land for a country of Palestine to be established, or must absorb the population of the "occupied" areas of land as citizens.
The Palestinians, if they wish to be regarded as within the realms of civilization, must end their demand for the abolition of Israel, and accept them as neighbours or co-citizens, if any settlement is reached.
3
Yes Hezbollah is very evil. Yes, Israel's treatment of Palestinians is evil. I don't know if this recognition of badness helps anyone. The situation will continue forever as far as I can tell.
1
There can never be a two-state solution as long as one state intends to eventually wipe the other off the map and claim even more territory. Israel was established as a safe-haven homeland for the Jewish people from all around the world, a place of peace and solace, protection from millennia old persecution It's time all, not just anti-Zionists and anti-Semites, recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
9
Overtime I have gradually become an anti-anti Zionist. That is to say, while I've no brief for the current Israeli government, oppose the occupation, and would prefer a two-state solution, there is simply too much overlap between anti-zionism and antisemitism for me.
8
One could have written the same column about apartheid South Africa. Remember necklacing? Some of the young men in the townships would take people they accused of collaboration with the apartheid regime and burn them to death.
Or one could have said the same about the wars between Native Americans and American settlers. There were gruesome atrocities on both sides, but of course there were white people at the time who could only perceive the atrocities of the Natuve Americans, who they called savages.
People never seem to change.
3
In 1947-48, I was about twelve years old, watching newsreels of Israeli "Freedom Fighters" forcing Palestinians out of their homes at gunpoint. I was horrified and to this day have never supported Israel.
This continues today, with Israel making incursions into Palestinian towns, demolishing homes and forcing their citizens out. Is it any wonder that Palestinians are fighting back trying to protect the little they have?
Incidentally, I was raised Jewish, although I left the religion many years ago and actually changed to another. One reason, although not the only one, was the attitude that "An American Jew's first loyalty is to Israel."
9
@connecticut yankee
You can love both your father & your mother, your sister & your brother, your aunt & your uncle, your son & your daughter, your niece & your nephew, the USA & Israel.
2
@m1945 Should my loyalty be to one over the other?
@connecticut yankee
You would not have to choose unless there was war between Israel & the USA & that is extremely unlikely.
Antisemitism is hatred of Jews for WHO they are; not what they do. Opponents of Zionism oppose the principle of Zionism -- the creation of an exclusive Jewish state in lands that have continuously been the ancestral home of Palestinians since times immemorial -- because of what it proposed to DO, has DONE, and continues to DO to the Palestinians.
Would the Palestinians react differently if the Eskimos or Martians had DONE to the Palestinians what the Jews DID and are doing to them?
Palestinians and other opponents of Zionism may be - and indeed are -- in deep sympathy with the fate Jews have frequently endured in Europe; they may greatly admire Jews for their contributions to the sciences, humanities and arts; but that cannot prevent them from feeling the pain and humiliation which they have endured at the hands of the Zionist project.
Is is sheer mischief -- an ideological lie -- to equate opponents of Zionism with antisemitism.
130
@Al-Makhzan than you for your comment. I was curious about what position you might take on the following...Do you believe that Nasrallah and others who attack Israel are as likely to attack Arab Israel neighborhoods as they are Jewish ones? If one is to claim the greivenses against Zionism are against a political doctrine, and simultaneously believe that, somehow, the mere living is that state is a support of the political doctrine, why should there be a distinction between. Killing Israeli Arabs and Israeli Jews?
9
@Al-Makhzan, I have to push back a bit and tell you that the Jews are the people that have lived in that land since "time immemorial". Even during the diaspora Jews lived in Israel. The Arabs that flocked to Israel in the late 19th and early 20th centuries from Egypt and Arabia are the late comers. Or are you claiming that present day Palestinians are descended from Philistines or Nazarites. Sorry, that just isn't so. I challenge you to do research on this question and then try to assert that present day Palestinians have lived in Israel from "time immemorial."
19
@Al-Makhzan
"Opponents of Zionism oppose the principle of Zionism -- the creation of an exclusive Jewish state"
Israel is not an exclusive Jewish state. Arabs are free to pursue whatever career they wish and are represented in all fields of industry. What they are not allowed to try to eliminate the State of Israel.
" in lands that have continuously been the ancestral home of Palestinians since times immemorial"
Explain why so many Palestinians have surnames like Masri (Egyptian), Tirani (from Tyre), Hijazi (from the Hijaz, or the Arabian Peninsula), and of many other places. Of today's Palestinians, how many have ancestors who lived in Palestine prior to the British Mandate? Of those, how many were there before the First Aliyah? Of those, how many were there before the Ottomans reconquered Palestine from Egypt? Unlike the Jews, the Arabs from surrounding lands had zero connection to Palestine prior to their ancestors migrating there.
"Palestinians and other opponents of Zionism may be - and indeed are -- in deep sympathy with the fate Jews have frequently endured in Europe"
Any sympathy for what the Arab/Muslim world did to its Jews? The massacres that took place in Palestine in the 19th century, such as 1860 in Hebron and others in Safed, even before the Zionist project started.
18
Does anyone at the Times even bother to edit or fact-check Mr. Stephens?
If they did, they might note that this entire article is an enormous red herring. As Mr. Stephens knows, "anti-Zionists" who want to "drive Jews from their ancestral homeland" do not exist among responsible debaters of this subject.
No one who is not an extremist wants to drive Jews anywhere (and the vast majority of us who question the Israeli government are not extremists!). What we want is for the State of Israel to finally, finally have some respect for the Palestinians who live there, or who live under that State's control.
If anyone wants to "drive" anyone anywhere, in fact, it is the many Israelis, not a few in the government, who want to remove Palestinians from their homes, so that they can have their "pure" Jewish homeland. Does Mr. Stephens have anything to say about them?
Do not be distracted by Mr. Stephens's dire hand-waving. Every responsible person is happy for Israelis (Jews or otherwise) to remain exactly where they are, to live exactly where they choose to live. All we ask - it is so basic that one is flabbergasted that anyone can quibble with it - is that every single person living in this nation or under its control have that same basic respect, those same basic human rights.
15
@Wesley Clark
No occupier has ever treated the occupied the same way it treats its own citizens. Palestinians have oppressed Jews for centuries. The occupation is the result of the Palestinian attack against Israel. Palestinians teach their children to exterminate the Jews. Israel should not treat people who want to exterminate the Jews the same way that it treats its own citizens.
. Here’s what Palestinian kids see on Palestinian TV:
• A song in a children’s cartoon includes the lyrics, “Zionist man, run away, Zionist woman, run away, very soon you’ll be killed by a car.”
• A Palestinian singer is shown in another clip, singing the lyrics, “Oh Martyrdom-seeker, make them cry. Make the fire engulf them. Turn them into body parts, roast them.”
• A Palestinian child declaims in a speech into which he has been indoctrinated, “Oh sons of Zion, oh the most evil of creatures, oh barbaric apes.”
• In a children’s TV show, a Mickey Mouse figures asks a child, “How will you sacrifice your soul for the sake of Al-Aqsa? What will you do? The child replies, “I will shoot. We want to… We will annihilate the Jews”
5
Last week we had a column by Michelle Goldberg distinguishing anti-Zionism from anti-Semitism; today Stephens says they're one and the same. As I said before, criticism of the Trump administration does not mean one is anti-American, just as criticism of the Netanyahu administration, both from within and without, does not mean one is anti-Zionist. At its most basic, Zionism is a belief that Israel has a right to exist and take its place among the nations of the world, as the United Nations recognized in 1948. Unfortunately, there are many anti-Semites who cannot accept even this proposition.
119
A large portion of my family moved to Israel in 1948 when the state was established. These were people who came to the United States after suffering through years of pogroms in Russia and a holocaust in Europe that threatened to destroy the Jewish people as a whole. Almost the entire Arab community immediately threatened to destroy my family rather than create room in their own huge countries for some citizens of Israel who were displaced, by their own choice, from their homes. There have not been many years of peace since that time. Now we have people all over the world who feel they have the right to decide what should happen to this very tiny country that has shown it is willing to be a refuge for my relatives and their children. I don't know what gives these critics the right to make decisions of life and death over another peoples right to exist. Perhaps some of these "experts" should move to Israel to see what my relatives accomplished in this tiny piece of land. It is very easy to be critical when one doesn't have the threat of extinction hanging over one's head. While i personally don't agree with everything the Israelis do I try to save my criticism. I suggest that some of your readers do the same.
25
@joyce mountains of US taxpayer dollar and unlimited political and military support hasn't exactly hurt your cause either. Do US taxpayers and American universities and corporations deserve any credit?
1
Stephens implies that condemning Israel's brutal 50-year occupation of the West Bank and Gaza is anti-semitic, because there is no distinction between anti-zionism and anti-semitism. How can this be true? Many decent people, including a majority of American Jews, decry the disgraceful behavior of Israel toward the Palestinians without calling for the destruction of the Israeli state.
How is this Israeli behavior different from the white minority government's treatment of the indigenous people of South Africa?
As with South Africa, it seems to me that BDS will be the only way to convince Israel to stop the occupation and allow some form of a 2 state solution. Only when Israelis start to see their high quality of life under threat will they ever consider giving up the West Bank and stop forcing Gaza to be the world's largest open-air prison.
8
@hardpants
I am amazed at how good Israel is to the Palestinians. Israel delivers over 800 truckloads of food & supplies to Gaza every day even though Gazans persecuted Jews for centuries & have fired thousands of rockets & mortars at innocent Israeli civilians. Israeli doctors treated 180,000 Palestinians last year. Israel even treats members of Hamas in Israeli hospitals.
4
@hardpants
And what role has Hamas played in constructing and maintaining that "open air prison"?
4
This is an article full of straw man arguments. It conflates conflicts and violence by Palestinians against Israel in the 1970s with Hezbollah (an organization that didn't exist at that point) in the present. It ignores Israeli actions and conflict with Lebanon, trying to conflate Hezbollah's positions and Palestinian positions against Israel and resulting conflict with political criticism of Zionism as a political philosophy. The article tries to imply that criticism of Zionism as a political philosophy based on exclusive views of ethno-nationalism implies denial of the rights of Israeli Jews, when for many it is simply a call for complete equality between all people in the area now controlled by Israel. Stephenson writes about fear of Jews being driven from their ancestral home with no sense of irony or acknowledgement that Palestinians being driven from their ancestral homes to fulfill Zionist aims is part of what many find most problematic with Zionism and those who support it as political philosophy under girding the foundations of Israel and a nation state. There is no irony seen in titling an article "When Anti-Zionism Tunnels Under Your House" while the Zionist organization Eldad literally is tunneling under hundreds of Palestinian homes in Silwan to take control of land. I have read few articles that show such total lack of awareness.
9
@Merlot best comment of the day!
Firstly I must say as a born and raised New York City Jewish kid that this column has some amazing photos of a "wall". President Trump should get the companies that built it to build his Mexico/U.S. wall, it's pretty impressive. Israelies and their citizens have the right to exist, after all not all Israelies are Jewish. Hate has no bounds, religion is a myth. Yes it is a fact that the so called protectors of America massacred the Native Americans and took away their property, dignity, and all their rights but our righteous founders felt no guilt. This religious argument of entitlement is nothing but a reason to "murder".Zionism, Christianity, Muslim, and any other religious belief is the "curse" of civilization> There is no answer to this philosophy of so called righteousness. The land belongs to everyone. Religion is just an excuse to "kill"
I have a sincere question for those who say that Israel and its citizens have a right to exist. What exactly do you mean? Israel exists, Israeli citizens exist. There is no question about that fact. Palestine does not exist as a state in present although Palestinians do exist. For some reason we need to keep reassuring those with a state of their security and future while the very same people continue to deny another people the same thing they demand. And what borders are we recognizing for Israel if we demand it must always exist? What constitution are we recognizing if we demand Israel must exist? There are no set borders or constitution. If Israel continues to exist as an exclusive state based on inequality and rights only for some, can I oppose that on the grounds of discrimination? Is that wrong? If Israel insists on continued settlement and control of Palestinian areas, can I not call for the creation of a de jure one state reality based on equality in a places where there is a de facto one state reality based on apartheid? Is that call for one state, an undermining of Zionism, the real source of problems? Is a call for equality, not Zionism, the problem? If Israel ends in its current form, but is replaced by a state based on equality for all and not increased rights for Jewish Israelis, is that really wrong? I would rather live in Marc Lamont Hill's world than Bret Stephens' world.
If Israel were truly a civilized and humane nation, there would be no wall and no tunnels. Ditto for Israel's neighbors. All are equally to blame for the mess they have landed themselves in.
1
And, if you were a civilized and humane human being, you would remove all the locks from you house, car and business.
3
We are presented a rebuttal where no argument was ever presented. What is the defense of Zionism? To an outsider, the Jewish state of Israel often seems more like a prison than a sanctuary. An increasingly militant and conservatively theocratic prison at that. The casual observer can't help noticing the ever present existential threat boarders on paranoia. Real danger exists but Israel is consumed by the thought even in the abstract.
You can't say:
"The good news is that the conversation about anti-Zionism remains mostly academic because Israelis haven’t succumbed to the fatal illusion that, if only they behaved better, their enemies would hate them less."
You've openly admitted Israeli fears are mostly academic. More importantly though, you've acknowledged that Israel behaves poorly to their assumed enemies. You can't succumb to the "fatal illusion" of treating someone better unless you are already treating them worse.
Perhaps Israeli Zionists aren't genocidal. However, hardliners have made plain their approach to Muslim tolerance. In effect: We don't care where you go but you can't stay here. Instead of digging tunnels though, Israelis are building foundations. I fail to see why Palestinians would be inclined to accept the disrespect with equanimity.
This Zionist argument is premised on the sacred security of one's home. The courtesy of security though is not something equally shared with others. The gesture earns you enemies who find it hard to hate Israel less.
4
@Andy
Your commentary is naive - first, a prison? Well, it has a standard of living and civil rights far beyond its neighbors. Second, the fear is not academic; it has led to serious military protection. Third, there is no moral equivalence between those who act out of a desire for security and those who swear genocide.
Bret - you are on the mark
3
Thank you for an excellent and sensible column There is truly no distinction between anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism. These commentators who come out of their cocoon to disparage Israel whenever there is a article about It, never even give a moment’s thought to the wanton murders in Syria, Yemen and all of the Third World countries surrounding the only democracy in the area. That in fact proves Bret’s point.
17
Pro Jew, Pro Judaism, Pro plight of Jewish people.
Perhaps I may take an issue with the policies of a country we give $3,000,000,000to every year, with $9,000,000,000 in guaranteed loans, every year. But if I do, I am labeled as anabomination, unequivocally. So, Maybe I am proudly against one party in this country, or against policies here. I should never get confused: never, never, never be against anything that a small Middle East country does, for any reason, ever. Ben Guiron has early quotes that would put him on the outs in Israel.
1
@4Average Joe
Actually I think those billions of dollars are a great security and social investment on the US part. It give us a staunch and trusted ally with similar cultural values in a very dicey neighborhood. I’m sure costs for building and maintaining bases and operations would probably be double that amount.
5
@4Average Joe
The whole world benefits from Israel’s advances in science, medicine & technology, but we Americans also benefit from our access to intelligence from MOSSAD which is considered one of the world’s best intelligence agencies & from being able to pre-position military supplies in Israel in case we want to intervene in the Middle East & from Israeli expertise in developing weapons systems. We gave F-15's to Israel & Israel improved them, 700 modifications. Thanks to Israel, we now have better warplanes. Also, Israel is a laboratory & the Israelis are guinea pigs in learning how a democratic society can deal with terrorism. Israel is on the front line battling terrorism. The terrorists say “First the Saturday people (Jews) then the Sunday people (Christians.) Israel is the barrier island protecting the West.
6
Anti-Zionism is not always the same as hatred of Jews, and neither is it always and everywhere some eschatological passion for the destruction of Israel. Nonetheless, many Americans have begun to recognize that the ceaseless Zionist intrigue in this country to suborn our policy to Israel's cruelty to Palestinians is nothing like goodness or rational policy. I'm not satisfied that Mr. Stephens comprehends this simple fact.
1
@David A. Lee
Self-defense is not cruelty to Palestinians.
2
@m1945 Pardon me, but you wouldn't make it a habit to deny obvious facts in things that are important to you. Why do you do so in things--like their very lives--that are important to Palestinians? And, in any case, whether you see it or not, the rest of the world sees this cruelty, and that is what it is.
1
@David A. Lee
Evidence that Israel's policy towards the Palestinians is cruelty for the sake of cruelty rather than for self-defense?
2
As someone who has visited both Palestine and Israel, I can truthfully say that Israel is dominated by fear, hatred, and, well, right-wing fanatics. I learned all about the fanatics when I had tea and cookies with a West Bank settler. I learned about the voilence when I traveled from the north to the south of the West Bank over the course of a month. Bret, you really should visit Palestine and see the reality behind the headlines. It's a beautiful and hospitable country which deserves much better treatment from the US.
5
I am a Jewish American who supports a two State solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I also abhor Netanyahu and his government and am disheartened and ashamed at their policies. However, I believe 100% that most of the anti-Israel invective also involves a great deal of anti-semitism and that people try to cloak their hatred of Jews by claiming to be against the policies of the Israeli government.
Governments all around the world oppress their people, from China, Syria, Russia, Cuba, Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Zimbabwe, and dozens more. They murder journalists, falsely imprison dissenters and torture them, and shut down the media and deny freedom of the press and freedom of speech and assembly to their citizens. Strange, but not one organization calls for the boycott and divestiture of doing business with any of these countries but they do so with Israel.
Israel is a nation with many faults. It is also the only country in the Middle east where Christians, Jews, and Muslims are able to practice their faith freely, where the Israeli media is constantly full of criticisms of the government from ordinary citizens every single day and no one gets arrested or tortured because of it.
I'm tired of criticism about Israel morphing into false claims about Jews controlling the White House, Congress, Hollywood, the economy, and the world. A tiny nation the size of New Jersey is a democracy and is quite imperfect. It is not anywhere near the pariah the haters make it out to be.
10
Well done. "Anti-zionism" is just another way of calling for the destruction of Israel. Anti-zionists, in theory, claim opposition to the practices of the state of Israel, and that there is a distinction between the State of Israel and the Jewish people, but in practice, they express their ire and so-called activism against Jews, harassing, intimidating and assaulting Jews on college campuses in the U.S. and European streets. Opposing settlements in the West bank is not, per se, anti-semitism; many Jews in the U.S. do. Targeting Jews anywhere in the world and calling for Israel's destruction is. If doubt me, try wearing a yarmulke in France.
13
Just keep building better walls, I'm sure that's the absolute best possible long-term solution. To borrow from my own country's pinnacle of problem solving, Make Israel Great Again.
1
Here is my position:
1. Jews have been persecuted since we have been recording history
2. So have many other groups
3. Jews had a right to a homeland
4. I'm opposed to Zionism
5. My grandchildren are Jewish
6. If Jews were to be granted a homeland, why not put it in North Carolina, or England, instead of imposing it on a group of people who bore no responsibility?
7. Yes, it is true that some people view anti-Zionism through the lens of wanting to exterminate Jews. That's really ugly.
8. Israel was horrible to Palestinians when the state of Israel was formed
9. The land was not a Jewish state originally--it belonged to the Canaanites.
10. I would not want someone creating tunnels under my house--I also would not want an army moving me off of my land and claiming it as "their country."
11. I have a headache trying to grasp it all.
12. I get even a worse headache when I read columns like this where the writer can't grasp it all either, but simplifies it down the level where he thinks he can.
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@Dan
Jews have been living there for thousands of years.
That's where the Jewish people began.
3
@Dan. sir. the jews came from that part of the land, have enormous historical connection to that land, and were perfectly happy to split it with those already there and not displace them, according to the partition plan adopted by the UN, where no arab had to leave his home. thats why. also, no other country would give land to the jews. i hope that clarifies. maybe read some more on the subject before posting.
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@Dan
1. "If Jews were to be granted a homeland, why not put it in North Carolina, or England..." Since you should already know the answer, why ask the question?
2. The tunnel builders in this article are Lebanese, not Palestinians.
3. Your remarks show that you really have never tried to grasp all or most of the situation.
3
Everyone has his or her own definition of anti-semitism, but there is no reasonable definition that includes equality for Jews in every state in which they live. As a Jew in the US, I have a birthright of equality under law, and I refuse to accept Israel's offer of a second birthright that deprives Palestinians of their first. Israel as a Jewish State is incapable (and most unwilling to try) to provide equality for all, and therefore support for the transformation of the Jewish State to a state of all its citizens is the only moral position. If that constitutes "anti-Zionism," there is nothing remotely "anti-semitic" about it.
Stephens disingenuously claims that such transformation will drive Jews from their "ancestral homeland," but there is no need for Jews to flee; they must merely accept equality for all. When South African whites gave up domination for equality, they were welcome to stay even though they were less than 20% of the population. Jews are roughly half of the people "from the river to the sea" and are in a much better position. It's the 21st century, and the (belated) consensus is that discrimination based on race, ethnicity, ancestry, or religion is bad - not some or most of the time, but always. It's time Israel signed up.
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@David Samel
Should the USA set a good example of equality for all by abolishing Affirmative Action which discriminates on the basis of race, ethnicity & gender?
3
So you define anti-Zionism as a despicable thing and then gasp: This is despicable! But Zionism isn't necessarily just the existence of the 1947 State of Israel. It is the claim of Israel's current regime to "Judea and Samaria," i.e., the Palestinians' home beyond the 1967 borders. Zionism can be defined as the mindset that no one living in that area or even the original borders who is not a Jew has the political and social status of the Jews, which was enshrined into basic law this year. And you dare talk about "separate but equal." I can agree with everything you say about Hezbollah and its ilk, I can respect the right of 1947-1967 Israel to exist as vociferously as the right of the U.S. to exist, and I can still view certain self-proclaimed Zionists as a threat to human equality.
If Israel were today called Palestine and administered by Hezbollah -- who occupied the native inhabitants, would anyone in the hallowed halls of academia or of the professional boycott set care about this region, let alone dedicate this much emotional effort to a state barely identifiable on a map?
I think not.
Anti-Zionism is, with rare exception, modern day Anti-Semitism.
8
Anti-Zionists move the historical goalposts to fit their views in a way that is so inconsistent that the only reasonable explanation is prejudice. First, they appear to posit that "the beginning of history" is 1948 (the year Israel gained independence) and therefore prevailing views against colonial standards apply. This serves to validate the colonial partitions of the Middle East that arbitrarily created many Arab Nations (Jordan, etc.) after the fall of the Ottoman Empire (but prior to 1948), while simultaneously nullifying the colonial partition that created Israel/Palestine. In 1947, academic studies put the Muslim population at 60% of then-Palestine and non-Muslims (mostly Jews) at 40%. Clearly, Muslims at the time of the creation of Israel were a small majority but far from a vast majority. But when it comes to population statistics as a metric for sovereignty claims, anti-Zionists move the relevant historical period to sometime prior. Muslims were only the vast majority in Israel/Palestine from the late 12 century. Prior to the 12th century Jews and Christians were the vast majority of inhabitants of Israel/Palestine and prior to the 7th century very few Muslims lived there at all. So the relevant historical time period for establishing indigenous rights to Israel/Palestine must be the late 12th century to the late 19th century. The best one can argue given these facts is that the prejudice of anti-Zionists is pro-Muslim rather than anti-Jewish.
5
In his film "The General's Son", and his talks, Miko Peled explains how Israel has provoked war and conflict since the first days of its creation. The General of the title was his father, a decorated hero of the 1967 war. His grandfather was a signer on the Israeli declaration of independence. It is his position that The Six Day War was a war of aggression on the part of the Israelis to capture land, which they did.
This is not news to anyone who was there, as I was in 1967. My friends in Lebanon, and Egypt are moderates. They have always said that Israel is welcome if they can learn how to be a good neighbor. But the response is always justification for Israels actions, that Israel has a right to defend itself. Yes, but from what? From oppressed refugees who have no chance in life but to fight for freedom and justice.
Talk is too easy, we are used to the complicated arguments of the zealots. Reality shows us a different tale. Israel, like the United States, was founded on a crime. Let's never forget the the Arabs were driven out of their homeland, and there will be no peace until they have justice.
Please, read this with an open mind: https://mikopeled.com/category/the-generals-son-by-miko-peled/
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@Sera
“The pogrom began on the afternoon of Thursday, August 29, 1929 and was carried out by Arabs from Safed and from the nearby villages, armed with weapons and kerosene. Advancing . . . they looted and set fire to houses, urging each other on to continue with the killing. They slaughtered the schoolteacher, Aphriat, together with his wife and mother, and cut the lawyer, Toledano, to pieces with their knives. Bursting into orphanages, they smashed the children’s heads and cut off their hands. I myself saw the victims.”15
4
Right on, Bret! Its time for everyone to wake up and call a spade a spade (or an anti-Zionist an anti-Semite, as the case may be). Israels public policy- which one may or may not agree with, like in any country- is not the issue. Nor is the issue the land dispute- again, many countries have land disputes- with the Palestinians. The issue is that a virulent and insidious Antisemitism has reared its head once again, managing to do the seemingly impossible: align peace-loving American liberals with a violent Islamic terrorist organization (or two). History has taught us there are two ways to combat antisemitism: education and a strong army, and one has proven to work better than the other.
14
Mr. Stephens:
"Sometimes anti-Zionists are — surprise! — homicidal anti-Semites, too."
Umm, yes, and it is not, of course, a surprise. Does the inappropriate, snarky utterance portend more weak logic to come?
Mr. Stephens' next paragraph:
"That’s a thought that can’t be far from the mind of anyone living in northern Israel, where in recent days the Israeli Army has discovered at least three tunnels dug by Hezbollah and intended to infiltrate commandos under the border in the (increasingly likely) event of war."
We didn't have to wait long for the answer to the question. There is no sensible reason to assume that the Palestinians who constructed the tunnels are motivated by anti-Semitism, or even, necessarily, generalized anti-Zionism. The only motivation we can safely assume is resistance to the seizure of their homes and their own multi-generational captivity in the world's largest open-air prison.
The widespread and, now, long-enduring effort to conflate opposition to Zionism, or even to specific Israeli actions or policies, with anti-Semitism is not only intellectually bankrupt, it is a strategic disaster. To endlessly condemn people of conscience for beliefs and prejudices they *do not* hold is to alienate them in one of the most effective ways possible.
This is really dumb. Please stop it.
5
The question is not whether Israel's enemies hate Israel, the question is how to insure Israel's future. In 1993, the Oslo Accords provided a roadmap toward a settlement. As a result, from 1993 to 2000 the number of attacks against Israel dropped dramatically (especially the number of attacks officially sponsored by the PLO). During that time, most Palestinians were willing to give peace a chance and to accept the deal that had been made at Oslo. That constitutes a de facto tacit acceptance of Israel's right to exist. A clear progress. In 2000 Ariel Sharon visited the Temple Mount, and after seven years during which Israel refused to implement 'Oslo' and continued to build settlements in occupied territories, in contravention to its pledge at Olso, and against increasing Palestinian and international criticism, the Second Antifada started.
Most Palestinians and Israelis want to move forward, to live in peace and to build a peaceful relationship with their neighbor. Citing the few who continue to spew violence and hate, and feeding the psychosis of fear that continues to grip Israel, is not useful. Reaching out to those who want peace on both sides is the only way forward. They exist and have proven in the past that they are willing to listen. The only other alternative is for Israel to 'fence in' and 'fence out' the Palestinian problem, in an endless spiral of hatred, human rights abuses, and insecurity. It is time for Israel to choose which future is wants to have.
1
@Bob
"As a result, from 1993 to 2000 the number of attacks against Israel dropped dramatically"
Except for the bus bombings which killed nearly 300 Israelis during that period. You also forgot to mention Arafat's scuttling of the Clinton Parameters and his stocking up on arms.
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@Want2know
During the 1990s, there were 22 attacks and 165 victims. In the 2000-2005 (6 years), there were 141 attacks and 595 dead. Yes, the bus attacks of the 1990s were particularly deadly and unconscionable. However, the attacks of the 1993-2000 period were fewer in number, did not receive official PLO support, and tended to be the work of fringe individuals. That says something.
1
@Bob
The Oslo Accords didn't mention settlements so settlement building was clearly not a violation of the Oslo Accords.
Palestinian terrorists murdered more Israelis during the five years following the Oslo accords than they did during the 15 years that preceded the Oslo accords.
As early as May 10, 1994, Arafat told South African Muslim leaders that the Oslo accords “fell into the same category as the Treaty of Hudaibiya that was signed by the Prophet Muhammed with the people of Mecca in 628, only to be reneged on a couple of years later when the situation titled in Muhammad’s favor.” Arafat’s words were recorded by a member of the Jewish community who had infiltrated the meeting posing as a Muslim — provoking demands from Israeli officials that he repudiate them. Arafat never did.
Nor did the Palestinian leadership cease its support for terrorism. Arafat and other top PA apparatchiks both approved and funded the creation of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, a U.S.-designated terrorist group. Arafat’s own personal bodyguard unit, Force 17—trained and equipped by the U.S. and EU as part of Oslo—carried out terror attacks throughout the 1990s and during the Second Intifada, from 2000-2005.
3
Could you do a story on life styles of the rich, famous, and looting leaders of Hamas and Fatah?
A forensic accounting of the tunnel and rocket program costs, including the costs borne by retaliatory strikes.
Bibi can be the follow up.
3
It is clear Israel has real legitimate threats on each border, many of which are terrifying, representing the worst of human nature. It is clear that anit-semitism is on the rise, abroad and at home, stoked in large part by the nationalistic white supremacy in Europe and the United States. It is clear Israel has no intention of a two state solution, and is in the process of solidifying a theocracy and creating an apartheid state. It is not only possible but reasonable to think all these things at once. To critique Israel the country is not a critique of the Jewish religion. I hope my children will grow up in a world where they can be proud of the way Israel welcomes refugees and respects the humanity of each citizen regardless of religion. I will continue to hold the country to higher standards because of that hope.
Your argument that anti-Zionism equates to anti-Semitism is incorrect. One can be opposed to the state of Israel as an intolerant theocracy- which it is- and not hate anyone or advocate their harm.
The nation may have been founded as a secular state, but the Orthodox run the joint now. Ask any Conservative or Reform Jew what their standing is among the powers that be in Likudnik Israel.
1
@David Gregory
Israel is not a theocracy.
A theocracy is rule by the clergy. Netanyahu is not a rabbi.
Israel is a democracy - rule by the people, not by the clergy.
The Orthodox have influence, but they don't run Israel.
If they actually did run Israel, there would be no transportation on the Sabbath. There would be no cinemas. There would be no rights for gay people.
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@m1945
I know Mr Netanyahu is not a Rabbi but the death grip of the Orthodox Rabbinate is significant and has been described as such by more than a few American Rabbis.
By claiming to be a "Jewish" state, they define the nature of the country by lineage and faith rather than by birth or a set of political values. Were a country to claim itself to be uniquely defined by being an Anglican of English Caucasian heritage they would be roundly criticized as racist and intolerant.
1
Can you show me another intolerant theocracy that allows gay parades, bars on every street, freedom of press, speech and religion ? I don’t think you can..over the top exaggerations are simply lies.
5
In the beginning, 1948, the State of Israel served a very important purpose for the Arab World's leadership. It provided a target, with little cost to them, especially Saudi Arabia. Zionists this, Jews that, ... Until Anwar Sadat saw that he had far more to gain for his people by offering to talk peace the Arab side was content to let this fester. For those 30 years Israel repeatedly offered to set firm borders. The Palestinian leadership never thought peace was worth it for them; personally. Most of the money Arafat was given stayed with him. Now the Palestinian world is stuck with the consequences of their intransigence. Meanwhile, the frustration of the Israeli people has, as is a normal reaction, grown over time. The settlements were originally supposed to be trip wires to buy Israel time to mobilize. They have become their own entity.
When Israel turned over the west bank to the Palestinians and some wealthy Jews made sure that hot houses were left for the new state to begin a profitable job site the new owners destroyed them.
4
Thank you, Bret!
7
Consider the phrase from this column "When you find yourself on the same side as Hassan Nasrallah..."
Stephens is very plainly equating the disquiet many Americans have for controversial actions by certain Israeli politicians with the virulent antisemitism of an extremist leader of a terrorist organization. This column appears to be a rebuttal of Michelle Goldberg's recent column on how opposition to repressive Israeli policies directed towards the Palestinians does not constitute hatred of all Jews worldwide.
Sorry, Brett, but Michelle had it right.
4
@Applarch, You and Michelle are wrong. Bret is spot on. "Never Again"
3
@alan segal The claim that disquiet with the actions of certain Israeli politicians constitutes hatred of all Jews worldwide is as nonsensical is claiming that disquiet with Trump constitutes hatred of white people.
Thank you, Bret. After reading Michelle Goldberg’s naive, dorm-room defense of Anti-Zionism, written ostensibly to swaddle herself in the security blanket of knee-jerk progressive applause, it sure is refreshing to be reminded of the reality of the world we live in. Anti-Zionism may not be antisemitism all of the time, but it is probably so over 90% of the time, and its objectives are eliminationist, not reformist.
13
@them thank you, really well said. "dorm room defense", so perfect a description , but depressing one, now that so many liberal/progressives have been overwhelmed by anti-Israel lies and pro Hamas, Hezbollah, propaganda disguised as BDS boycott. I'm a life long liberal, and this college professor and much main stream media, siding with pro Palestinian demonizing of Israel is really depressing.
3
What a surprisingly lopsided column. Bret Stephens seems to have gone full myopic on us, arguing - unconvincingly - in absolute black and white terms, always rabid Palestinians versus always sober Israelis. I suggest that there's plenty of blame on both sides and I protest that this doesn't make me an anti-Semite. For Stephens to close his argument with such things as "haven't succumbed to the illusion that, if only they (the Israelis) behaved better (like, for instance, not expanding settlements?), their enemies would hate them less. Is Stephens suggesting that if they behave worse, that's going to do the trick? And to lump anyone who doesn't agree with him to be in league with the rotters Nasrallah, Farrakhan and Duke? Please, Bret, regain your equilibrium.
1
Israel no longer needs anyone's permission to exist. While I "favor" a two state solution for the people of the West Bank, even if it means unilateral withdrawal from the settlements, I recognize that sovereign survival is the foremost destiny of the Jewish people. Any American who peddles any other soft theory, whether or not they are anti-Semitic, in their heart, is a fool at best and an enemy of democracy at worst.
11
@Mark great comment, thanks.
2
This is precisely why I do not support the BDS movement; too many genuine anti-Semites are part of it. At the same time, the fact of genocidal terrorists does not excuse Jewish settlers appropriating Palestinian land in the West Bank etc.
2
Excellent. Great PR for Reed College
1
It's one thing to advocate for a secular bi-national state that respects the life and liberty of all it's citizens, and it's quite another to call for the violent destruction of Israel and the murder of jews. Both can wear the label "Anti-Zionism", but it's disingenuous to conflate them.
The former is a noble idea that's worthy of debate - it speaks to the highest ideals of liberalism, and it stands a chance of leading to a peaceful and just future. The former is obviously vile.
Peaceful Anti-Zionism is on it's way to the mainstream of american politics. Intellectually dishonest attempts to paint it as Anti-Semitism might slow it down, but sooner or later Bret Stephens will have to grapple with the idea itself, not the strawman.
3
Who are the "Palestinians"? Do people really believe that all have been there for centuries? During the British Mandate Jews who lived in the area were known as Palestinian Jews. It was an area, not a country, and until 1948 hadn't been one since Israel and Judea were countries there 2,000 years ago. Now there is Israel and there is Jordan, with Jordan having been given 70%of the land. Why would you support people who have turned down an additional separate state for themselves, offered many times?
Food for thought: “Personally, half my family is Egyptian. We are all like that. More than 30 families in the Gaza Strip are called Al-Masri ["Egyptian"]. Brothers, half of the Palestinians are Egyptians and the other half are Saudis.”
Hamas Minister Fathi Hammad , March 23 2012.
7
While there are clearly people in the Arab world whose opposition to the state of Israel is based on anti-semitism, here - as always - reasoning matters.
Imagine being an 84 year old Palestinian woman who was born in a village that is located where Tel Aviv is now. She has never been violent in here entire life, and through actions that had nothing to do with her and were not her fault, she is now living in run-down shack in a refugee camp a scant few dozen miles from the location of her now-vanished village. She has no passport, no citizenship in any country, no ability to go where she wishes. Is a desire on her part to have her country back purely an expression of racism against Jews? Does it _HAVE_ to be? Of course not.
There are obviously bad actors here among the Palestinians. But now imagine being an 84-year old American woman, born in Detroit and now forced to live in a shack outside Dearborn under similar circumstances. Would you consider her desires to be free and have civil rights necessarily an expression of hatred against her occupiers?
I am not denying that the discourse about Jews in much of the Arab and Muslim world is appalling. That does not obviate the fact that the Palestinians have rights, or that they are being violated by Israel.
Being unable to distinguish anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism also leaves out anti-Zionist JEWS, of which there are plenty. Israel was not founded through G?d returning the land to his people for keeping the covenant.
2
I believe it possible to be an Anti-Zionist who contends that the creation of Israel was an historical, cultural, and political mistake and yet say that now, after 70 years of existence it does, in fact, have a right to go on existing.
1
If I don't believe in Israel's policy of land-grabbing and settlement building, then I'm David Duke?
Isn't this the soft-serve version of Godwin's law?
1
Gaza is a large prison and Hamas holds the keys; it chooses not to unlock the gates because it would rather seek Israel’s destruction than create a better life for the people it controls. Wake up, Mr Harris and educate yourself as to what Hamas actually believes.
9
@Eddie both Gaza and the West Bank are prisons. The West Bank is a prison run by the trusties while Gaza is a prison run by a dangerous gang.
Beautifully written, Mr. Stephens.
It brought tears to my eyes. My extended family lives in Ashkelon, and has been in their bomb shelters many times recently as 600 rockets were shot from Gaza, intended to hit schools, homes, and kill. There is no living peacefully with this kind of hatred. The mindset that wants Israel destroyed, so that killers can move in and take over their land.
To that end, I would leave the peace of my native America to defend Israel! “Never again” is the motto of millions of Israelis and those around the world whose relatives died in the Holocaust. Never again means to confront, and condemn the sick Farrakhans of the world who want to harm her people through any means! He should have stayed in Iran where he fits perfectly into spewing terrorism.
9
" driven from your ancestral homeland"
A lot of that going around, in that part of the world.
The only ones that have actually been forced out in my lifetime are Christians especially, Kurds, and millions of Arabs of every persuasion, "driven from their ancestral homelands", millions of them at this point, most of them showing up on the West's doorstep, sparking fascism in our politics. A West-backed or West-run war is generally in the vicinity, with Israel strongly encouraging more of it.
1
The destruction of the state of Israel is no more different than the destruction of the Soviet Union or of Apartheid South Africa.
Russia and South Africa are still there. In fact, those countries are alot better now with democracy and equal rights. Israel will be a better country with democracy and equal rights for all its inhabitants, not just the chosen people and their token minorities.
1
@Joe
"In fact, those countries are alot better now with democracy and equal rights."
I was not aware the Putin's Russia is a place of democracy and equal rights.
3
@Want2know
Russia may not be perfect but its better than the Soviet Union which held half of Europe under its Iron grip. The Soviet Union went away and now we have more democracy than we did before. The Jewish state should go away and leave behind a country with equal rights for all its inhabitants.
Thank you Mr. Stephens-
This piece is required reading for all of you who fawned over "Anti-Zionism Isn’t the Same as Anti-Semitism" op-ed by Michelle Goldberg last week.
7
I believe that being an American is more important than being Israeli or Palestinian. Stephens wants America to pay billions to defend Israel against its enemies. Not doing so is anti-Semitic, of course. I don't believe you Mr Stephens, and I don't want my money being tossed anywhere into the Middle East. I've had enough of their fanaticisms and lies.
2
This anti-Zionist is not anti-Semitic. He believes in a bi-national state with equal rights and responsibilities between Israelis and Arabs. This was supported in the 1940s by great Jewish luminaries, including Albert Einstein, Hannah Arendt, and Rabbi Judah L. Magnes, founder of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in the early 1920s. Their goal foundered because of the opposition of Jewish nationalists, most particularly David Ben Gurion. After the death of Israel's first president, Chaim Weizmann, a moderate Zionist, B-G offered the position to Einstein. He rejected it, because he saw how Israel was becoming increasingly nationalistic.
2
@Diogenes
"He believes in a bi-national state with equal rights and responsibilities between Israelis and Arabs."
There are nice ideals and there is reality. Any single state will inevitably be a Palestinian controlled state with a Jewish minority. And it is worth pointing out that the founder of the BDS movement, who demands a single state, also says Jews can have no national rights to any part of Palestine.
3
The comments above or below (wherever this comment is located) confuse anti-Zionism with disagreements about Israeli actions or policies. A two state solution contemplates the continued existence of Israel. Anti-Zionism is a one state solution, and the one state ain’t gonna be Israel and the population ain’t gonna be Jewish.
1
A brilliantly written piece. What Jew does not hear, even from his friends, "I'm not anti-Semitic I'm anti-Israel." Never mind that the people who utter that phrase rarely take the time to read or understand anything about the region, it's history, its inhabitants, or the root causes of the conflict. For whatever reason (and what could it be?) they reflexively reject the country that is a liberal, progressive democracy to support terrorists, dictators autocrats and theists who subjugate women, torture and murder dissenters, and humiliate and murder homosexuals. What's worse, in America they sit on sacred and stolen Indian lands while they pillory Israelis. Time to call anti-Israel what it really is...racism.
6
Nice conflating of 'Palestinian terrorists' in 1974 with Hezbollah. As the author well knows, Hezbollah was an Israeli ally in 1974. That's right, Israel helped arm Hezbollah! But Israeli policy changed all that, including the hapless invasion of Lebanon. Sort of like our invasion of Iraq, which has created more Islamic jihadists than any other event. Perhaps he should take a moment to consider that.
Bret Stephens is right. Anti-Zionism = Anti-Semitism.
That does not mean that the policies of the Israeli government can't and shouldn't be criticized;they most certainly should be. It does mean that by publishing the column by Michelle Goldberg discussing anti-Zionism as if it is a legitimate opinion the NY Times helped legitimize a form of anti-Semitic bigotry. People have the free speech right to discuss all manor of opinions,even extremist ones, but it is NOT a good idea to give extreme bigotry legitimacy by giving them access to very prominent and respectable venues.
5
American Jews may have nothing to fear from the new congressional critics of Israel but lets be clear the Democratic party does. These politicians are going to push moderate and liberal Jews into the arms of the GOP creating a permanent Republican majority. It's incredibly hypocritical for Democrats to say we support the state of Israel when they have members who are publicly undermining them by supporting the BDS movement. To say the BDS does not call for the destruction of the Israeli state is either willful ignorance or outright lying. As a Democrat I'm embarrassed that we tolerate pro BDS advocates in our party. Imagine a scenario where the Arabs won the 1948 war they initiated against Israel. What would have happened? Here's what Arab League's Secretary-General Azzam Pasha promised would happen: "This will be a war of extermination & a momentous massacre which will be spoken of like the Mongolian massacres & the Crusades." How can Israel negotiate with that kind of mentality? They can't. Palestinians don't want peace. They've had a chance for peace many times. They're where they are today because they're committed terrorists. The so called "Peace Process" is a fraud & the people who have pushed it are self-deluded charlatans. In the past 70 years trillions have been spent trying to solve this problem. We've engaged in horrifying wars with no end in sight because of our involvement in the "Peace Process". What do we have to show for it? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
4
Words extracted from this piece describe all of Israels problems. " Held at bay only through force of arms".
1
Interestingly, all three comments so far miss the point. The issue, as Bret Stephens points out, is not if Israel is right or wrong - I disagree with many things Israel does - but the deeper issue of the so-called anti-zionists (read BDS). The anti-zionists, as they like to call themselves, use misguided and false stories to promote a fanatical hatred of Israel and, as Bret points out, the destruction of Israel.
BTW - in case anyone doesn't realize - the BDS is a totally Arab financed cover to discredit Israel. AND, most adherents of the BDS are completely ignorant of the history of the conflict in the Middle East.
So, as I always like to point out, two wrongs don't make a right - Israel is far from perfect. But - THAT is not the point with the so-called anti-zionists - they are out for the destruction of Israel and, in the case of Hezbollah and Hamas, the annihiliation of the Jewish people.
5
Finally, an article that cuts through the esoteric nonsense of debating anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism. Zionism is a movement for the re-establishment of a Jewish nation in Israel. Anti-Zionism is therefore denying the right for Jews to exist as a nation. Hamas, Hezbollah, and the vast majority of Arab nations, agree that Israel should not exist. Some, like Hassan Nasrallah, are not mincing their words about the eradication of Jews. I lived in one of these nations, and to many of its informed citizens, making the case that anti-Semitism is the reason for anti-Zionism is an exercise of intellectual pride. Others aspire to justice and democracy under one state, without recognizing the Palestinians failed to even agree with the establishment of a two-state solution. Rockets are being launched from Gaza almost on a daily basis, and it is not because Hamas is looking to peacefully coexist with Jews. Does this mean we, as American citizens, cannot criticize an Israeli policy? Of course not. Read any Israeli newspaper or blog, and discourse is the main theme. If we are to disagree with an Israeli policy, though, let’s apply the same standard we would apply to any other nation - the right to exist as a sovereign nation. BDS, under this standard, does not qualify as an approach or as voice. When BDS is silent on Syria and Saudi Arabia, the silence is deafening.
112
@MichaelE
What BDS says is that injustice has no right to exist. Would America have a "right to exist" as a sovereign nation premised on the claim that whites Christians are entitled to rule eternally? Because Jesus gave us that right? Such a state would lack political legitimacy and should be replaced by a democratic state. And no, we are not silent about Saudi Arabia or Syria. We must cut off all military aid to the Saudis for the same reason as Israel -- they are using it to slaughter innocents -- 4000 shot by Israel in Gaza, 40,000 dead in Yemen. (We have U.S. forces in Syria fighting ISIS, side by side with Hezbollah and Assad and the Russians. We shouldn't be there either.)
1
Brilliant.
7
About time you spoke up
6
"To the extent that Israeli parents ever sleep soundly...."
They do not!
7
White people debating where Jews can live and their right to life (aka in the State of Israel); as the old saying goes, everything that is old is new again.
4
There are Jew haters among anti-Zionists just like there are Muslims haters among the pro-Zionists. I never quite got the point that if someone who hates Jews has the same opinion as me, it must by default be wrong or also mean that I hate Jews.
The fact is easy to understand. Ben Gurion had a homeland. It was called Poland. That he moved to Palestine as an adult and told the Palestinian people that they should get ready to live under Jewish rule pretty much made clear that Zionism is nothing more than colonialism, designed to help Europe rid itself of its Jews by dumping them on the Palestinians.
4
“..... or driven from your ancestral homeland”
Yes Mr Stephens, that is exactly what Zionism did to the Palestinians
Zionism’s birth was not innocent.
9
It's not breaking news to say hatred of Jews [Arabs are Semites, too] isn't restricted to the U. S. or Europe. It seems that hatred of The Other is part of human nature, denying it is a sign of sophistication. Israel was not only a gift to the Jews, it was a great present to haters. Now, those who hate Jews can disguise their venom by arguing, "I hate Israel, not Jews!", just like those who claimed hating Obama was solely about politics. Most certainly these suppoters of Palestinians causes alhttps://youtu.be/fdhFeS5XOz0so were terribly upset at the president's Muslim ban, were shocked by profiling Arab passengers at airports, and pushed the U. S. to stop the war in Yemen and accept Syrian refugees.
3
Truth.
6
Amazing how many commenters simply can't wrap their heads around:
1) Israel has a right to exist (seriously this is very basic).
2) That Jews are indigenous to the Land of Israel (a nice little book on Jewish history would do them some good-Paul Johnson's book comes to mind, or Simon Schama)
3) The Palestine Mandate was partitioned between two peoples, with the Arabs rejecting it, and starting a war of genocide-that has never actually ended.
4) That if the only nation you want to ethnically cleanse from the face of the Earth is the Jewish one, thus
5) The only people on the face of the Earth you want to deprive of self-determination are Jews, then you are an antisemite.
And on any number of points, not just Israel- if your political platform mirrors that of Neo-Nazis, homophobic-misogynist-racists, and genocidal Islamists , then you really do need to rethink your life.
14
There are 46 Muslim countries in the world, there are 22 Arab countries in the world. There is one tiny Jewish state in the world. You would think that they have enough, the Arabs occupy 99+% of the land in the middle east. Instead, they have focused their failed societies on destroying the one Jewish state in the world. Not on improving the lives of their people, but on destroying the one people who have the temerity to stand up to them.
After the fall of the Ottoman empire a century ago, the Arabs seized control of the vast majority of the middle east. There is no Yazidi country, no Kurdish country, no Coptic Country, no Berber Country. Instead, those indigenous people are subject to Arab oppression and occasionally genocide. There is one tiny Jewish country, it survives against the onslaught.
Someone should ask the Arabs how much is enough.
248
@Chazak you do remember why the Middle East became the divided state it is today. The borders were artificially created by the British and French after WWI. This is the main reason why no one gets along. Their natural borders were destroyed. Who knows if we would be having the same conflicts today if white colonizers had left well enough alone.
15
@Chazak
"they have focused their failed societies on destroying the one Jewish state in the world."
No they have not. Hezbollah does not speak for all Arabs, nor does Hamas. They do not even speak for all Palestinians.
10
@Chazak Arabs occupy 99+% of land in the middle east? Are you sure about that? Iran and Turkey comprise a hefty chunk of land you've included in your statement - perhaps you should study some more.
15
Stephens uses the rhetorical trick of conflating the extreme, drive the Israelis into the sea statements of Hamas or Hezbollah leaders with opposition to the policies of the extreme and corrupt Netanyahu government.
Is penning up millions of people in Gaza acceptable as a matter of human rights? Is discriminating against Israeli Arabs a policy worth American support? Is the constant spread of settlements, at the expense of non-Jewish residents and their home places, something that American taxpayers should subsidize, directly or indirectly, through our economic and military aid to the current Israeli regime?
You can answer such questions in the negative without wishing for Israelis to be killed or expelled from that part of the Middle East. Such policy positions should not be smeared with the definition of "anti-Zionism" -- i.e., seeking the elimination of Israel -- that Stephens tries to apply.
18
@rungus Speaking of rhetorical tricks, your narrative is wrong throughout. You say it’s all about Netanyahu but Gaza was evacuated in 2005, the blockade following a year or so later, after the election of Hamas and the dangers that entailed. Netanyahu did not take office until 2009. Israel’s footprint has not increased since Oslo, so “spread of settlements” is false. I understand that what you believe is enabled by the way this topic is reported by heritage media like this newspaper, but why are you so eager to believe it?
7
@rungus
In ten years time, without a serious negotiated peace, there will be larger settlements, and possibly more. Why? Not because of expansionist beliefs, but simply due to the continuous birth rate of Jewish families, both in the West bank, and the rest of pre-67 Israel. They have to live somewhere, and many cannot afford prices in central Israel. Those who grow up in Judea/Samaria like it, and many, though not all, chose to remain after they marry.
The Palestinian population will also grow. The longer the alleged Palestinian leaders hold off in committing to a workable solution, the more impossible moving people in our out of places becomes.
The constant spread of settlements is not true, but currently tens of thousands of young families need a real apartment to call home. Many live in converted parking spaces, basements, sometimes even with a set of parents. Our tax dollars isn't paying for buildings in Israel. Without funding Israeli defense and security, there likely would be more clashes and more dead Palestinians. BTW, we fund Palestinian intelligence coordination with Israel, which is part of the former.
4
Thank you for the telling it like it is. I have never met an Israeli or Jew for that matter who didn't want a lasting peace. The problem has always been that the Palestinians have yet to produce a leader who has the power to impose such a peace on the murderous-no compromise- elements of the Palestinians, whether home grown jihadists or Iranian sponsored.
Also, many Jews recognize that Israel is held to a higher level of conduct than other countries by folks, some of whom are Jewish, who are simply blind to that fact. Israel has a long history being attacked by it's neighbors and is not willing to go quietly into the night.
28
Liberal pluralism offers a theory about how multiple different groups, all with legitimate claims to live in a certain place, can live together in the same country peacefully. Both Israeli Jews and Palestinians clearly have a legitimate claim to living in the land that is currently Israel/Palestine. So if liberal pluralists truly believe their theory works, let it work in Israel/Palestine.
1
@Eric Leonidas
I do not think Mr Stephens' point is vague, as he concludes: "When you find yourself on the same side as Hassan Nasrallah, Louis Farrakhan and David Duke on the question of a country’s right to exist, it’s time to re-examine every opinion you hold."
If you track the Israeli press, there are plenty of critics of the policies of Netanyahu and his close allies. Does this March 2018 headline sound familiar: "Netanyahu Dubs All Major Israeli Media Outlets 'Fake News"-- https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Benjamin-Netanyahu/Netanyahu-dubs-all-major-Israeli-media-outlets-Fake-News-547165 ).
As for support for a two state solution, it has been dropping: https://www.timesofisrael.com/support-for-two-state-solution-at-lowest-in-nearly-20-years-poll/ ("Support for two-state solution at lowest in nearly 20 years — poll," Aug 2018).
2
With so many people trying to sell me what I believe in, how am I ever supposed to form an opinion of my own?
It is possible to be a Jew, and simultaneously be critical of the policies often carried out by the State of Israel. I fully recognize that extremism exists on just about every side of this issue, and it’s fine to argue against the underlying rationale of what might be referred to as “Anti-Zionism.”
Personally, I am opposed to the continued oppression of the residents of Gaza. I am opposed to the legally-mandated minority status placed upon the Druse, the Bahai’i, the Bedouin, and the Palestinian people. And I am opposed to the continued provocations which occur in cities like Hebron, or the further construction of illegal settlements on the West Bank.
If I am labeled an “Anti-Zionist” for those positions, then so be it, but I’m aware enough of where I came from to know that I’m no anti-Semite.
18
@ubique- from your statement, it’s quite apparent that you’ve never been to Israel. Minorities including Druse, Bedouin and the Baha’i are accorded equal rights as are Arabs. Haven’t you seen the beautiful villas, luxury SUVs and shopping bags in hand amongst these minorities? They’re doing quite well under the Israeli government and wouldn’t trade their situation. Take a trip to THE ONLY DEMOCRACY IN THE MIDDLE and see for yourself. It’s easy to be an armchair tourist and spout inanities.
6
@ubique
Those are not the positions that label you anti-zionist. Nor do you trod close to anti semitism. These are legitimate positions where Israel must do better
When you delegitimize the actual existence of the state of Israel that is clearly anti-zionism and given the company you keep with those opinions, you will have opened yourself to be included among the anti-semites
1
@ayjaytee
I find it to be as appalling that there are Democratic political representatives who have embraced the BDS movement as I do the Faustian bargain that right-wing Jews have made in order to advance their own bloodthirsty agenda.
It’s hard to keep good company these days.
1
I think its a little silly to reduce complex situations to very black and white positions. If you criticize Israel, it doesn't automatically make you an anti-Semite, just as criticisms of America don't automatically make you un-American.
It is entirely possible to believe that Hezbollah should be stopped and opposed and that Israel has the right to defend itself, while also believing Israeli actions in the West Bank with new Jewish settlements and forced relocation of Palestinians are wrong and only exacerbate the situation.
If Israel truly wants peace, and I'm not sure they do (at least those currently in power), they need to change their approach. Bibi and his party are very shrewd and know exactly what they're doing. Their approach is purposeful. It inflames the Arab world, which then initiates actions against Israel, creating a state of fear, during which the Jewish people turn to Likud, the right-wing party that is tough on defense and will protect them. It's a means of maintaining and solidifying power while also expanding the Jewish state, which many people in Israel want to do and feel is their right.
Also, Zionism is a fundamentally about a Jewish state. Zionism is incompatible with liberal democracy, because in areas where the Jewish people are the minority (the West Bank) Palestinians must be denied equal rights to ensure the sanctity of the Jewish state. Acknowledging that is not anti-Semitic, its just a fact.
11
@Durhamite
Ah, but conveniently neglecting to mention all the Muslim nations where non-Muslims are denied equal rights. There's a reason the number of Iranian Jews has dwindled. The policies directed against the Jews, not to mention the tacit government-approved discrimination and violence, are in place for religion alone.
Why is it okay for other religions to maintain religious states with a veneer of democracy but not Israel?
3
Nice to see a breath of sanity, logic and intelligence on this issue in the Times. Thank you Brett Stevens.
20
Stephens is correct when he states that it is an illusion to believe "if only [the Israelis] behaved better, their enemies would hate them less." What he leaves out is that if they behaved better they would have fewer enemies.
What every pro-Israel commentator leaves out is the fact that both the Jews and the Arabs had and continue to have a legitimate claim to the territory (the Arab claim, being more historically recent is probably the stronger one). Also left out is the ongoing expropriation of Arab land in the West Bank by religious zealots who believe the land was given to them by a super-natural being five thousand years ago. The BDS movement emerged in 2005 after it became clear that the Israeli government had no intention of honoring the agreements that brought about the creation of the State of Israel and indeed that conditions for the Palestinians were only getting worse.
16
@Eric
"The BDS movement emerged in 2005 after it became clear that the Israeli government had no intention of honoring the agreements..."
And after Arafat scuttled the Clinton Parameters. You, and so may others, are very specific on everything Israel has done wrong and what the world should expect of it. Rarely, however, do you indicate what will be required of Palestinians as part of any agreement.
3
As usual in these rants, the conditions surrounding the birth of Israel are glossed over with phrases like "ancestral homeland" and "sovereign state" implying that the Jews have a right to this land by virtue of religious texts that Arabs do not endorse. I've read the whitewashed accounts of how the land was innocently acquired beginning in the late 1800's but I find it hard to believe that Palestinians would voluntarily sequester themselves the way we see them today. The Palestinians I know feel their families were ethnically cleansed from their "ancestral homes" and claim to have legal documentation of property taken from them by force or intimidation.
This is the original sin of the modern state of Israel and continues with the building of new settlements and power plays over Jerusalem. Until it is acknowledged and atoned for we will have the cancerous situation of today with no end in sight.
I would say 90 percent of my Jewish friends feel the same way and feel hostage to and embarrassed by the hard line Orthodox leadership in Israel.
11
@Johnny Edwards
When someone says Israel was born in sin, that says boatloads to coincide with Mr. Stephens point.
Most of Israel was uninhabited and desolate in the 1800s. Many Arabs flocked to what is Israel when jobs opened up, and even more arrived, illegally, in the 1930s and 40s. Jews lived in Israel thruout the ages, with more not coming because the ruling entities made life impossible. Jerusalem in the late 1800s had more Jews than Arabs. Bringing up the numbers game is a ploy often used to discredit the Jewish claim to the Holyland, and it's false. Which doesn't mean that anyone should/would be advocating forced emigration of either side. It does mean Palestinians outside of the original 1948 refugees (maybe 30,000 left today) have no legal claim to ask to return, and they should receive citizenship where they live. Syria is obviously a problem for now.
6
What sort of immigration policies would Americans endorse if the leaders of Canada and Mexico dedicated themselves to the obliteration of their country? Stephens is right - time to reexamine all your opinions - and that means you too, Ms. Goldberg.
12
Bret seems to feel that being "driven from one's ancestral homeland " is a very bad thing. Unfortunately, that is what the Jews who founded the state of Israel did to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians living on the land that is now part of that state. This history has always been a major source of the conflict. So as an anti-Zionist American Jew , I don't doubt that many anti-Zionists are anti-Semitic, but not all of us are. Some of us feel that the creation of a state in the 20th century based on mass expulsion was a bad idea.
5
Can Israel embrace unapologetic Zionism? This would require a military and civilian take over of Gaza and West Bank and relocation of the 1.7 million people living there to friendly Islamic states that fund the war and terrorism.
Either you are a Zionist, or you are not. The grey area in between - a place where Israel finds itself by virtue of its democratic traditions - is creating a lot of problems.
Can we accept that a state of permanent war and hostility can exist between two peoples, and accept that in some situations peace cannot occur?
I cringe when I read about Israel making an attempt to talk to its enemies, and I cringe at every evidence that extreme right in Israel is not just dominating, but is corrupting the country. Israel is dealing not just with 1.7 million people on its borders, but a larger ideology which aims to annihilate everyone (including themselves). Zionism as an ideology is pretty connected to this reality; I hope people who wish well for Israel (as I do), are connected to this reality as well.
2
Great to see the NYT Editorial Board members and the Op-Ed contributors going at each other. It clearly shows the difference between ideological purity regardless of the real world consequences, and rational analysis based on real world facts. Unfortunately, the former seem to be on the ascendant whether we refer to "upmarket liberalism" or "downmarket conservatism."
1
Okay, so to be opposed to Israel's displacement of the Palestinians is to be anti-Israel and so anti-Zionist and so anti-Semitic? And to support a two state solution is to side with Lebanese terrorists? Gotcha.
Like many I learned that in 70 AD the Romans burned the Temple and expelled the Jews. Then, following the Dreyfus affair, Jews created the Zionist movement and worked to create a modern Israel out of a land that was historically theirs and at the same time empty and full of Arabs. Of course, little of this is true. The war that saw the destruction of the Temple was only the first of three fought against the Roman, the last ending almost 70 years after the first. The Jews were never expelled. The majority assimilated, becoming first Christians and then Muslims. The Palestinians of today. The land was never empty. Zionism has always been about the displacement of one people by another. At heart it is an example of European colonialism and drawing on examples from more than forty years ago to condemn all of Israel's critics does not change that.
As long as the reality on the ground remains what it is, the criticisms will continue.
2
They weren’t displaced...those who chose to stay now make up 20% of the population. Compare that to Jewish refugees from Arab countries who given no options.
5
"Israelis haven’t succumbed to the fatal illusion that, if only they behaved better, their enemies would hate them less." It is also true that the worse they behave (settlements, walls, detentions), the more enemies they have.
4
Unfortunately, when a country, who for 70 years has been surrounded by enemies who have initiated wars for its destruction, and, who refuse to alter this mindset, there is little that Israel can do other than build walls or search for the terrorists before they commit their acts of violence. I don’t believe that this horrible and endless scenario exists anywhere else in the world. And it exists because of an extremely deep hatred that is perpetuated by a decades old educational system that encourages children to aspire to martyrdom.
4
Zionism means a Jewish State. Anti-Zionism means you are against a Jewish state. It was a legitimate question to debate in the 19th century when England’s Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli first proposed the idea.
But today it means destruction of the existing Jewish State. It doesn’t mean disagreement with the policies of the Netanyahu government, which is fair game. In very practical terms, just listening to the words of Hamas, Hezbollah, the PLO, the Syrian and Iranian governments, and others, it would mean cleansing of the entire State of Israel of Jews, by whatever means necessary - in this case, through violence.
If that’s not anti-semitism, what is?
13
Dear author, do us a favor by reading Ronan Bergman's devastating history of the Israeli secret targeted assassination program, "Rise Up and Kill First" -- which has been in place since the founding of the Israeli state in 1948. One takeaway from this history: state sponsored terrorism is perfectly acceptable against perceived enemies in this eye-for-an-eye conflict.
3
It's all about "punching up", regardless of the moral merits. Israel is a modern state with a European standard of living. In the intersectional progressive mindset, this prosperity must be at the expense of someone, "the other", someone more Muslim, browner, poorer, or more African / Middle Eastern. Facts are irrelevant. Coalition-building with the global south is paramount.
4
Bret starts his article with a 16 year old speech then proceeds to give us examples of terroristic attacks that occurred 44 and 40 years ago respectively. Those attacks were truly horrible, but the fact that Bret reaches back four decades for his examples—and chooses attacks organized by the PLO, not Hezbollah—weakens his argument. A lot has happened along the Israeli-Lebanon border since the 1970s, not the least of which are several Israeli incursions and occupations of Lebanon which have left much of that country in shambles.
A more nuanced article would recognize that much of what Bret says is right. Many anti-Zionists are anti-Semitic, and many seem to wish genocide on Israeli Jews and even Jews as a whole. This should not be ignored. But there's another side of this story that also should not be ignored—and that's the fact that Israel's creation as a specifically Jewish state could occur only by expelling the Arab majority or by restricting right of that Arab majority to self-determination. The conflict between Israel and its Arab neighbours (and the Arabs still under its control) is complex and there is no one side that is all right or all wrong. On one hand, Zionism is a legitimate and inspiring liberation movement for a people long oppressed. On the other hand it is a nationalistic movement that advances the interests of one ethnic group while dispossessing and discriminating against another. If the conflict is ever to be resolved, both sides must be acknowledged.
3
Thank you Bret, for this spot on column and answer to Michelle Goldberg's recent column defending anti -Zionism and enabling the troubling liberal/progressive support for the BDS propaganda and movement which is just code for the elimination of Israel and it's people.
As a life long liberal/progressive voter it troubles me deeply that two of the new Congress women who ran as Democrats, after they were elected revealed they support BDS. And it troubles and saddens me that so many on the left, especially college professors and even Jews unwittingly support BDS and radical on campus pro Palestinian students and groups calling for the elimination of Israel and Jews under the guise of BDS as just a boycott.
The founders and leaders of BDS are backed by Hamas and Hezbollah and although it is not as obvious as attack tunnels into Israel, it's goal is the same , a one state solution not including Israel or it's Jewish people.
12
Parents warn their children to be very careful about their wishes, because some of them might not be what they expect them to be. Brett, you might give that some thought. Yes, Hezbollah is vicious band of extremists, but why are they able to exist at all? They rely on an unrepentant Israel to be the boogeyman they need to foment their hate … and Netanyahu more than obliges.
Ratcheting up the volume to 11 won't fix that. It will make it worse. Ask your parents.
2
The author writes: " All this is to say that Israelis experience anti-Zionism in a different way than, say, readers of The New York Review of Books: not as a bold sally in the world of ideas, but as a looming menace to their earthly existence, held at bay only through force of arms. "
May I point out that it is possible to say the almost same about Zionism and the Palestinians, except that the Palestinian experience was worse as the menace in their case is harsh reality?
" All this is to say that Palestinians experience Zionism in a different way than, say, readers of The New York Review of Books: not as a bold sally in the world of ideas, but as an ideology that caused their exile through force of arms and still kills and robs them on a daily basis."
2
@Elisabeth
So both parties have grievances and neither trusts the other. What do you propose, if not a two-state solution?
2
@Want2know It is too late for that. There are 750.000 settlers where the Palestinian state was supposed to be. It is not going to happen . One state is already the reality. That means the end of Jewish majority rule: Right wing Israel killed the Jewish state.
Thank you for articulating this most basic point: Israel lives and always has lived under existential threat from its neighbors. This is Israel's reality, and protecting itself from Anti-Zionism is not an academic exercise. Israel is also the only truly multi-ethnic, multi-religious democracy in the Middle East. Wishful thinking about how it could be even more democratic is not helpful given its embattled reality, and amounts to absurd hypocrisy from its fascist and/or monarchist neighbors. If the Arab countries care so much for their beloved Palestinian brethren, let them invite them into their countries, where they share a language, religion, and virulent hatred of the Jews.
9
OK. Let's agree that extreme anti-Zionism and ant-Semitism are of the same pedigree. Let's also agree that there is an equivalently extreme Zionism which denies the legitimate claims and limits the genuine rights and freedoms of Palestinians. Extremism does not solely reside with the Arabic population. A litany of extremism on one side only inflames and does not fully portray the reality.
3
As a second generation American jew, my relatives fled the pogrom in Eastern Europe. I used to be proud of the state of Israel back in the 60s, 70s. & 80s I can no longer support a country that openly practices apartheid. Since the ultra orthodox have taken over Israel and the murder of Yitzhak Rabin, Israel is no different than other other Arab state. The Palestinians were pushed into ghettoes. It is hard not to look at them and not remember the Warsaw ghetto.
I am no supporter of Hezbollah either, where is the Nelson Mandela of the Palestinians.
I see no resolution to this matter as long at Israel and Palestine keep their current governments. It might take another generation to change that. My solution has always been one state with Arabs and Jews having citizenship under one banner.
When you form a country based on one religion you will always be doomed to be not accommodating of others who do not embrace your religion.
3
As with all defenders of the Israeli right, Mr. Stephens attempts to make all issues binary. If you are not a supporter of Avigdor Lieberman, you are therefore a supporter of Hassan Nasrallah. Nasrallah supports genocide, so all opponents of Israel's government or policies is a supporter of genocide. Like Donald Trump, you are either my ally or my sworn enemy.
.
Will Nasrallah treat Israel better if Israel is nicer to those in the occupied territories and its neighbors? No, he won't. But he will be replaced eventually, as are all leaders. His replacement will either be more or less virulent in his hatred of Israel. The new leader will be a man who is sensitive to the mood of his followers. So yes, it does matter how Israel treats non-Jews in the Levant. The Soviet Union was not defeated by force of arms. It was defeated by the desire of its people to live like the free people of the West. Israel can only find peace and security if those in the occupied territory and Israel's neighbors abandon the struggle against Israel and begin to emulate it instead. That will not happen while Israel treats the Arab people under its political control as prisoners to be managed, rather than as citizens who must be given the opportunity and tools to thrive. Is this system Apartheid? No, but it is more like Apartheid than full citizenship. Israel will need decades to achieve true peace and security, but that is the best reason to start now.
4
"The Soviet Union was not defeated by force of arms. It was defeated by the desire of its people to live like the free people of the West."
Seems things have turned out otherwise.
2
@Want2know
If you don't think things have changed since the fall of the USSR, I suggest you talk to the people of Poland or the former East Germany. Or for that matter, the people of Russia. Putin is a kleptocrat, but his government is not totalitarian. The Russian people have much more freedom today. They may distrust the West, but nobody is calling for the return of communism.
Let me start by saying that I can be sure Hassan Nasrallah made speeches full of anti-Zionism and anti-semitism (though some who Mr. Stephens calls "prominent apologists" of Hezbollah would argue against the latter -- I don't agree with his choice of words though).
However, the first two paragraphs of this piece refer to a speech where Hassan Nasrallah talks about the “final and decisive battle” with Antichrist (Al-Masih ad-Dajjal in Islamic eschatology) -- He is wearing the cloak of an Islamic scholar, so think in that context. He is *not* talking about "hunting down Jews". He is muddying the water and demonizing Israel's government. But, Mr. Stephens, does not do himself or us any favors by twisting the facts and stretching the words either.
As for the rest of the pieces: One should not condone racism and bigotry in any form, either for (Zionism) or against (anti-Semitism) a group.
1
The problem is that while I think Anti-Zionism, at its core, is a vile and fundamentally flawed ideology in today's world, Israel's propaganda machine is also pushing to label any criticism of Israel's policy as being Anti-Zionist. This is a technique to quell critical speech and label critics of Israel's policies, say towards settlements or hostile policies towards Israeli Arabs, as racism. Good faith criticism shouldn't be squashed in this way, and people giving it shouldn't be made to feel like jerks.
So if people are able to adhere to a limited definition of what constitutes Anti-Zionism, then I agree with your article, as I obviously agree with Israel's right to exist. But that limited definition doesn't seem to be followed in my experience in the real world.
Israel is probably the most criticized nation on the planet. Perhaps, that is the reason that many of its supporters have become overly sensitive to criticism, much of it coming from those who have little or no knowledge of the actual history.
6
If you don’t believe Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish nation stop reading now because nothing I say will have any demonstrable impact on your ability to apply reason to this issue. But if you feel differently; that Israel is a legitimate state with the privileges and immunities of all nation states, then the relentless attempt by Palestinian militants such as Hamas and Hezbollah to destroy Israel speaks to the most critical issue in the debate.
A two state solution is a plausible outcome only if those in power on the Palestinian side don’t define "occupied territory” as including Israel itself. If the boundaries of Gaza and The West Bank were firmly drawn and defined as the State of Palestine, and in the face of “peace” a free flow of commerce was implemented, insidious tunnels were dismantled and rocket attacks ceased, does any rational person believe that the "Start Up Nation"of Israel would be forever congenitally predisposed to wasting its blood and treasure to "blockade or harass” its neighbor?
Gaza has tremendous economic potential and a valuable mediterranean coastline. With regional help from Israel and others it could find its own deserts blooming and industries thriving. Yet its leadership continues to squander what it receives in international funding on militancy against Israel. I hope those newly elected to Congress who (in many cases) naively espouse this anti-zionist mantra will have a chance to reflect on the wise perspective of Bret Stephens.
16
Well Bret, now you must know what it is like to be dark-skinned in the U.S. in the age of Trump .. where hate crimes have surged dramatically in 2017 .. nearly 6 in 10 were targeted because of bias against the victim’s race or ethnicity. Any idea what the prospects for re-examination are among the "Make America Great Again" crowd?
1
Thank you for the article.
Many countries are created based on linguistic, religious and other uniting aspects, ie Balkan states.
Israel is the homeland for one of the most ancient languages, the birthplace of modern religion, and a vivid history and yet it existence is still questioned until today.
I wonder why.
6
Thank you! My thoughts exactly.
I am a deeply committed political Liberal and don’t always agree with your perspective, but I find this column the most clear-eyed and forthright commentary on this topic I have read in years.
22
Extremists relentlessly stoke the fires of us vs them. I'm weary of your flames. I'm weary of the rigid Zionist defamation of those who don't agree full force with their ideation. I'm tired of the rigid argument, whether in the U.S. congress, on main street or on the plains of Abraham.
6
@martha hulbert Are you saying that the right to exist, the right to live, is somehow "flames" or "rigid" or demanding "full force" agreement? Should we start with a less "rigid" demand -- perhaps a hope or a plea -- that only some of the people be driven into the sea?
6
“When you find yourself on the same side as Hassan Nasrallah, Louis Farrakhan and David Duke on the question of a country’s right to exist, it’s time to re-examine every opinion you hold.”
When you find yourself on the side of Benjamin Netanyahu, Ariel Sharon and Donald Trump on the question of Palestinian human rights it’s time to re-examine every opinion you hold.
21
@RL Groves There are fine people of all nations, religions, political orientations, and ethnicities who support Israel's right to exist. Who are the fine people who support Hezbollah's "right" to deny Israel's right to exist?
1
@RL Groves
Or you can find yourself on the side of Bill Clinton and John Kerry, and support a two state solution that recognizes the right of both peoples to a nation.
2
@RL Groves
Do you believe China should exist given its concentration camps full of Uyghurs?
Do you believe Malaysia should exist as it exterminates the Royhinga?
1
Sometimes anti-Zionists are -- surprise! -- pacifists who love Jews and Palestinians equally.
12
Unfortunately, one of the key elements of this discussion that goes unsaid is the Israeli government's unceasing attempts at ethnic cleansing, theft of historically Palestinian land and homes, as well as the infiltration of settlers. If I were a Palestinian, it would seem rather obvious that the goal is to rid as much of the stolen land of its native inhabitants as possible. This has been a goal and policy for decades, not unlike the Nazi goal of ridding Germany and Europe of their Jews. So, how can anyone expect the Palestinians to love and pledge allegiance to Israel. Seems like a very unrealistic expectation that is bound to result in anger, frustration and conflict. The Warsaw ghetto fought back, why can't the Palestinians?
11
I agree wholeheartedly with your statement that “people should not be driven from their ancestral homeland because of their religion”. And so does the UN. That’s why the plight of millions of Palestinians (who were driven from their ancestral homeland and scattered across the Middle East as refugees) was debated at the UN Security Council, which then proceeded to pass a binding resolution granting them the right to return to their homes when the war ended. They can’t of course, because that would change the religious demographic make up of Israel.
A democracy shouldn’t feel the need to preserve the dominance of one religion. The usual response to that is “they would be a threat to security”. Completely ignoring the fact the 25% of Israeli citizens are Muslim Palestinians.... and despite unlimited access to all of Israel, they are the only Muslim group in the region that has not engaged in terrorism. I may be naive, but it appears that terrorism against the Israelis has very little to do with religion and more with dispossession. Doesn’t justify it (I’m still horrified by it and even embarrassed by my people’s actions and words, and I speak out against it at every opportunity) but does explain it and offer an alternative for the future.
18
Thank you but no thank you, Bret Stephens - for mudding the waters even more on the most volatile issue of out time.
1
Further, the Palestinians were offered on several occasions virtually all that they were seeking (most notably in ‘93) and because the conflict is such a good fundraiser for other groups and such a good catalyst for some county’s political and religious agenda (see Saudi Arabia, Iran, et al) that they were made to reject these deals.
Now, do I think Netanyahu is largely horrible as the leader of Israel? Yes. Can there be solutions to the Israeli Palestinian conflicts? Absolutely. Is Netanyahu helping this along? No, the opposite in fact. But one can disagree with the way Israel is being run and want all parties to be seeking a solution without feeling like Israel should no longer exist. And wanting a equitable conflict solution is very different from wanting to make Israel into Palestine.
13
I completely agree with Bret Stephens. I wish I could be more eloquent but the least I could do is register my agreement.
16
Stephens writes as though he were a public relations person for Netanyahu. There's a larger context, unfortunately, for the conditions that exist in northern Israel and elsewhere in Israel and the surrounding region. The conflicts won't be resolved, if it can be, by Israeli right-wing belligerence or Hezbollah tunneling.
4
As a Zionist most of my life and an Israeli citizen (now living in the U.S.), I am no fan of most anti-Zionists and for sure many of them are anti-Semitic and would like to see the dismantling of Israel as a Jewish state. The fact remains, though, that Zionism led to the dispossessing of Palestinians who also have deep stakes and legitimate historical claims to the land. One can argue that they themselves are to blame and it is true, but they are not solely to blame and shouldn't be expected to relinquish their legitimate claims anymore than should Jewish Israelis. The conflict exists because both sides have approached it as a zero-sum game and have both undermined the conditions for a two-state solution. This is not an argument for moral equivalency, false or otherwise. It is a sober and reality-grounded assessment of what represents the only pathway to peaceful coexistence. It is easy for each side to point the finger at the other, but it is only when both sides commit to this pathway, at the same time, that we will ever see an end to the conflict. Israel's future is not a bright one for anyone, Jews or Arabs, in a state where Jews will soon be a minority ruling by force over a hostile Arab majority.
1
There is nothing to add to this article and hopefully it will get through some thick skins.
Thanks Mr. Stephens and thanks to the NYT for a rare non-anti Israel article.
10
If only.
If only people could think objectively and rationally, and abandon fixed ideologies.
If only people could resist tribal impulses and act (and consider others) as individuals.
If only people could stop using religion as a cover for personal, economic, and political ambitions.
If only people could get over past grievances going back centuries.
If only we could invent and deploy an amnesia bomb that would clear our minds.
2
I have only one question. If I am against Likud's current policy of displacing Palestinians and making way for Israeli settlers on the West Bank does that make me 1) anti-Netanyahu or 2) anti-Zionist or 3) anti-semitic?
The reason I ask is that your colleague at the NYT, Michelle Goldberg, wrote a column last week where her definition of anti-Zionism (opposition to Israeli government policies) seems substantially different than your definition. Did a little digging on the Internet and found that both your definitions were acceptable depending upon your point of view. Pro-Israel writers that were more conservative used your definition while moderates generally used her definition.
My last question. If American Jewish writers can't agree on a definition where does that leave the rest of us? And, how does that effect the prospects for Mid East peace any time in the near future if Israel's supporters can't even agree on something as simple as a definition.
5
The question is not is anti-Semitism wrong clearly it is. The question should be why does it exist and in a particularly virulent form in the middle east.
The Zionist project was a terrible solution to a terrible problem: anti-Semitism. And, bad solutions have bad consequences. The challenge now for the Israelis is to work to find a way to cope with these consequences. Given the conditions caused by the
Zionist movement, aided, sadly, and initially very reluctantly, by U.S. leaders, the likely solution will be a one-state solution, despite Israeli attempts to thwart that reality. It may take a generation - or two - for the "remnants" of the Zionist project become an artifact in Israel, but the larger forces of history and justice but prevail. Though I hope it needs not be said, I am not an anti-Semite, just a person who wants no one anywhere to die because of a misguided effort.
1
What a dyspeptic exercise. Mr. Stephens wants us to reject logic or at least any logic which incorporates evenhandedness and support a blanket indictment of one group and the unfettered praise of another. The Israelis live in a perpetual state of siege and the Palestinians in a perpetual state of hopelessness. The leadership of both groups play the situation like a stratavarius in order to retain their relevance and legitimacy. Individuals such as Mr. Stephens either knowingly or unknowingly perpetuate this untenable status quo and both the Israelis and Palestinians continue to suffer as a result.
Not falling for this bob and weave essay. Israel is constantly aggressively breaking its agreements and expanding, it has been a hostile actor beyond defensiveness, and we (the U.S.) pour obscene amounts of money into this already wealthy nation consisting of one of the richest demographics on Earth.
To compare having strong negative opinions with a nation such as Israel with racism against skin color, nationality or religion is an insult to the history of civil rights and all who have suffered under prejudice. It is like saying one should not be critical of British Imperialism because that would be racist. Sorry, doesn't work that way.
3
Bret Stephens repeatedly makes sense and writes well. I would like to see more of his writing.
5
Mr. Stephens, I’m not sure I could agree with you more. Your argument is well articulated and rock solid. I briefly pointed out some similar arguments in comments to Ms. Goldberg’s Op-Ed.
I am also constantly being told that the vast majority of Palestinians frown on the violence and fanaticism of their extremist groups. This lack of support doesn’t ever appear to motivate the Palestinian population to reject and police their extremists. Apparently this disapproval doesn’t even motivate not sheltering, hiding and supporting these terrorists by the Palestinian population at large.
I also pointed out that every time the Israelis unilaterally pull out of a piece of territory the first thing the Palestinians do is launch attacks from said territory. They don’t bother building schools or hospitals or manufacturing centers (unless for rockets and tunnels) they just utilize the land and their resources for their anti-Zionist quest.
16
Conflating legitimate criticism of Israel with the anti-Semitic desire to abolish Israel is a simplistic argument unworthy of Mr. Stephens. On top of that, Stephens’ seeming assumption that anything the Israeli government does must be accepted and approved—including the subjugation and oppression of a population—lacks any moral or rational basis. That Stephens includes in his argument the danger of a population driven from ancestral hands holds particular irony given that was an outcome of Zionism in the first place. The United States can, and must, hold its allies, in particularly those that receive substantial American aid, to standards of decency.
1
The author's points about Hezbollah are well taken, but the article requires a slight amendation: The Soviets were quite keen on genocide in Ukraine.
"Anti-Zionism is ideologically unique in insisting that one state, and one state only, doesn’t just have to change. It has to go."
This is true of many anti-zionists. But within the ranks of anti-zionism are folks advocating not all-out removal of Israel, but a reforming along the lines of South Africa. A version which doesn't stamp out Jewish connections to the land, or all that Israel has accomplished, but merely wishes to incorporate Palestinian equality into that picture so the state represents both peoples.
Under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action pushed through by President Obama and his secretary of state, John Kerry, hundreds of billions of dollars were transferred to Iran. A signing bonus? Also, a journalist for the New York Sun, Claudia Rosett, examining transactions made by the Treasury Department, discovered unspecified disbursements that added up to roughly the same amount of frozen assets to be paid to Iran. This money was transferred on pallets in the middle of the night. So, given that the Shiite militia Hezbollah is a client of the theocratic regime, can we infer that the money sponsoring these tunnels into northern Israel comes from our own tax dollars. And meanwhile, President Obama was honored just last night by the RFK Foundation for peace.
2
"...because Israelis haven’t succumbed to the fatal illusion that, if only they behaved better, their enemies would hate them less."
Like everyone else in the world, governments or individuals, you should behave better because it is the right thing to do regardless of what other people think. I support Israel's right to exist but I don't support the Netanyahu government.
There many issues in this piece, but foremost is the narrow definition of Anti-Zionism. I am a Jew, who has lived in Haifa, Israel, sat alone at a bus station waiting for a bus that could never arrive. Yet, somehow, I still find myself ardently opposed to the way the current Israeli government is acting and believe that the continued expansion into the west bank is an act of Anti-Zionism far more dangerous than the blatant Antisemitism of the Radical Islamic world. Zionism is not a binary idea, it is a holistic one, that there is a need for a Jewish Homeland, beyond that it is a veritable menagerie of ideas and thoughts about how to best achieve, secure, and advance that goal. The idea that there is much to fear from Hezbollah is valid, that it is specifically anti-Zionist is undone by the very first sentence. The Radical Islamists of the world, very much like the Radical Christians, all bank their eternal glory in some way with the destruction of the Jewish People, everywhere, not just in Israel.
1
Looks like Stephens is outlining a clear rebuttal to Michelle Goldberg's earlier article regarding zionism. It's unfortunate that while Goldberg seems to recognize nuance and tries to get beyond entrenched positions, Stephens takes the entenched position, and goes with it without considering that there might be a third way. There's no question that Hezbollah has and will continue to try to commit bad acts that do no one any good. But Israel, under it's current, continuing conservative, bullying administration, commits retaliatory bad acts just to show that it can, not to reduce inflammatory rhetoric, and to continue to ignore the humanity of the people it holds power over in disproportionate measure that flies in the face of any other knowledge and experience of how to deal with loosers of a configration
Yes, its a special case but Israel is committed to keeping it "special" with no apparent way to resolve any issue. Israel need a step by step policy that does not include continuous humuliation and unrealistic spiritual and symbolic self immolation on the part of the palestinians.
Conflating Anti-Semitism and Anti-Zionism is troubling to me, but perhaps the more important point—and one that Stephens overlooks—is the distinction between Zionism and the policies of the current government of Israel. I am the former and strongly opposed to the latter. Stephens also creates a new distinction that is new to me: he uses the term “Northern Israel” thereby implying that there is a “Southern Israel” thereby implying a distinction without explaining what he means.
3
Anti-Zionism, the notion that the State of Israel should be wiped from the face of the earth, is an abhorrent one that has no place, anywhere. Yet in the 40 years since the Camp David accords and the lasting peace between Israel and Egypt, it seems we are as far as ever from realizing a peace between Israel and the Palestinian people. I recall the West was in much the same place in its stand-off with the Soviet Union until people on both sides of the divide, conditioned to believe their adversary evil incarnate, came to the realization that deep down, each side loved their children and shared the same aspirations for them. As chilling as the tactics of asymmetrical warfare are - and tunneling under your adversary to level the playing field by enhancing the advantage of a surprise attack is the ultimate asymmetrical tactic - dealing with an adversary with weapons of mass destruction is far worse as the stakes are higher. Israel, now clearly superior economically and militarily, under its conservative government dithers at its peril as it limps toward an apartheid state for want of the will to make peace. The Palestinians are similarly divided and cannot get out of their own way. If only their respective children would rise, speak, and remind their stubborn parents that it is their lives and their future that are the pawns being sacrificed in this blind-man's war of hate.
2
Facts on the ground tend to bring focus to issues like is anti-Zionism a more acceptable way of being an anti-Semite?
It's an issue that resonates in the Christian west but is basically absent elsewhere, other than the ME of course.
Zionism began in the 19th century with Theodor Herzl's book Der Judenstaat. Written to counter the prevailing attack on the Jewish culture and on the Jews, Herzl hoped for the unification of the dispersed Jews in the Diaspora in a Jewish state liberated from Anti-Semitic discrimination and prejudice. It has had support from various quarters such as Queen Victoria, and in Napoleon's Civil Code that offered Liberty, Equality and Fraternity to Jews, Protestants and Freemasons.
Before WWII there were 9.5 million Jews in Europe, after the war there were 3.8 million. Of those, few could emigrate, the US for instance maintained its restrictive quota until 1948. Europe for most Jews had become a cemetery. And so the pressing need for a Jewish home.
Of the Jews that remained in Europe, the fears of pre-war Europe are returning as this BBC article makes apparent https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-46439194
To Jews, the issue of a Jewish home in Israel is increasingly not a matter of choice, but survival. Disingenuous demands that Jews agree to become a minority to the very people that have fostered wars of annihilation against them will only strengthen their resolve. They have to if they are to survive.
12
Good article. Glad to see you have at least some differences with Michelle Goldberg; your romance on 'The Argument' had me worried.
4
There have been close calls but peace seems farther away than ever. Would Hezbollah have risen to power if a right wing Israeli zealot not killed Yitzhak Rabin?
How many people on both sides have been sacrificed with peace nowhere in sight and battle lines drawn on both sides of the border?
All I know is Hezbollah is evil but Netanyahu and Trump's (or rather Jared Kushner's) version of peace is not something many countries, anywhere in the world, could stomach.
1
@Gord Lehmann Glad that you admit that hezbollah is evil, but facts on the ground: the political arm of hezbollah via its military arm dominates and controls the Lebanese government, and many aspects of Lebanese life involving the palestinians, including walling in the palestinian refugee camp, Ain al-Hilweh, and refusing to allow palestinian refugees to practice many white-collar professions. Yet, we all stomach that reality.
2
Early comments here show a confusion of terminology, which perhaps Stephens doesn't clarify adequately.
The problem is that the term anti-Zionism is so vague and diffuse that whatever virtues it might wear, it can also veil a multitude of sins, including anti-Semitism.
So many readers here will be confused, because to them, anti-Zionism means opposition to Israeli policies. So then they conclude that criticism of anti-Zionism is an attempt to squelch what they regard as legitimate criticism of Israeli policies by delegitimizing such criticism as anti-Semitic.
Yes, Zionism can be associated with the illegal settlements on the West Bank.
But it is also the reason why Israel exists in the first place. Zionism originally meant only and primarily the idea of creating a safe place for Jews to live, in their historic homeland, since nowhere else in the world could they feel safe, especially after the Shoah.
So when the easy chair brigade in the West that Stephens mocks in this essay unthinkingly adopts the phrase "anti-Zionism" as a catch-all term for their opposition to Israeli policies, even leftists in Israel -- and they do exist, in some numbers -- hear that much as early Americans would hear "anti-patriot" to describe those opposed to the creation of the United States.
The solution is pretty straightforward. Stop terming your opposition to Israeli policies as "anti-Zionism". Not only is it intellectually lazy; it does, in fact, act to delegitimize your opposition.
4
Anti-Zionism is not necessarily equal to anti-Semitism, depending on the meaning of the former. If it means destruction of the existing state of Israel, then there is no difference. But if it means fair-minded opposition to certain Israeli policies, notably in the occupied territories, that is not anti-Semitism. But Mr. Stephens is justified in sounding an alarm against those who excoriate Israel while ignoring far worse abuses among her neighbouring states. That double standard often does disguise underlying anti-Semitism.
1
"Anti-Zionism is ideologically unique in insisting that one state, and one state only, doesn't just have to change. It has to go."
Anti-Zionism is the concept that one group of people shouldn't have more rights than a another group of people. Anti-Zionism is analogous to being anti-apartheid.
If anti-Zionism were exactly what Stephens declares it to be in this piece, he would have a point. It isn't, and he doesn't.
1
While the conditions of Palestinians may not be great they are far from apartheid level.
Where is the outage about female genital mutilation and honor killings and paying people to blow themselves up and murder others etc.? When was the last time that Jews or Christians could visit Mecca?Is Israel’s concern about self protection the only problem in the entire world? That’s why it’s justly considered to be antisemitism when people agitate against Israel. Israel is held to one standard and the rest of the world to another. The world has a very nasty history of not helping Jews. Be careful of whom and what you support.
9
Showing weakness, being weak, being naive, believing that being a good citizen of whatever country one had been chased to, would keep one and ones children safe: this is the real Jewish curse. If there are a hundred crooked corrupt non- Jewish bankers and one corrupt crooked Jewish banker amongst them, eventually all Jews get tainted as crooked and corrupt and leading the pack. It is the lesson of history we Jews never took to heart until now. For a brief moment in history we have a small homeland and a powerful army to protect it. And letting go of that power, even for an instant, may be the end of that brief moment. Maybe ultimately it will come to an end, but not because of Jewish weakness, or naivity. And maybe one day the relative safety Jews possess in other countries will also end, as it did in Europe in the 1900s, through naivity and weakness and a belief that being a good citizen in another country will protect one. It never has in the past. Never....
8
@Leon Joffe
Bret,I seldom agree with you, but Charlottesville vindicates your every word today - and I say that as a "goy". Yes, Jews need one unquestionably "safe" place - and that place is Israel. The U.S. should be a safe place for any (and NO) religion - but it isn't yet. If I were a Jew, I would be very glad to know I had a "default position" in this stupid and violent world.
3
If anti-Zionism is always anti-Semitism, is Zionism always anti-Palestinian bigotry & apartheid?
If you want to have conversation and negotiation, there is possibility of progress. If you want to engage in name-calling and a battle of victimizations, there is not.
5
Aren't David Duke and Trump on the same side? And aren't there good people on both sides? I thought that was the new Republican justification for anger, fear and hate? If I'm wrong, please point to the Republican outrage over these statements and alliances.
1
The creation of Israel was a colossal mistake made largely because the rights and sentiments of colonized peoples weren't taken into account at the time. Without Israel, the vast majority of Jews would be prospering elsewhere in the world just as so many are currently doing. With it, we have a seemingly endless conflict that sucks in much of the world, at least the Western world and the Middle East.
But Israel does exist; and while there's no solution, there's also no going back. The only upside I can see as an American is that it doesn't have to be my problem. Like very many Americans, I think it's past time that we wished Israel luck, but severed our ties with it. I don't think that makes me an anti-Zionist, certainly not an anti-semite, just a pragmatist.
3
@Dave Nice. Abandon the last redoubt of the Jewish people, the only democracy in the Middle East, and a national security partner of the United States. Very moral and upstanding. Were you in the Obama State Department?
7
@Dave
You are right to an extent, but short sighted.
The United States and all other democracies are in a perpetual fight against power-hungry tyrants who are trying to conquer their part of the world (Russia and Iran are the two best current examples. 1930s Japan and Germany are others)
In that regard, Israel's fight is our fight too.
And while it might feel nice to try to ignore the rest of the world, given that our standard of living is based largely on international trade, we can't ignore it.
Whether we like it or not, those despots think of us as the Great Satan.
4
@Dave
It doesn’t make you Anti-Zionist (as you do not support dismantling the state of Israel). Whether your position is Anti-Semitic depends on whether you single Israel out for this abandonment or generally support the idea of the U.S. cutting and running from complicated and dangerous situations around the world on the short-sighted view that our neighbors problems are never our concern.
3
As I recall, there was 400 years of animosity and battles after the partitioning of Northern Ireland. It has been less than 80 years since the establishment of the state of Israel. As Israelis encroach further into territory set aside for the people displaced by its founding, they should not be surprised at the continuing hatred aimed at them. Unless some efforts are made to enfranchise the displaced Palestinians and treat them with dignity, I doubt both these beleaguered peoples will see peace.
14
@Joan Erlanger
Your call wrong: Northern Ireland was only partitioned for the rest of Ireland in 1921. So it isn’t even quite 100 years.
But your analogy is apt in one way: As with the partitioning of the British mandate into separate states (one Jewish, one Islamic) in 1948; the borders of the partition were mostly based on the preferences of the majorities in each local area. Making criticism of the partitions on the grounds of self-determination something of a reach.
3
@Cormac
Ta for correcting the history. Not my strong suit.