#having one justifiable political opinion (supporting a ceasefire) does not justify your other bigotry

[edenfenixblogs]

No.

Everyone who goes to a pro-Palestine protest doesn’t get to behave as bigoted as they want because Palestinians are suffering, actually.

There is literally no other group that this person’s sign could be about other than Jews. Nobody else’s indigeneity is being questioned besides that of Jews.

If someone came to a protest to bring back hostages and held up a sign saying, “the only place you belong is behind a check point,” everyone would know that sign is derogatory toward Palestinians. And I would say, “Hey. Get the fuck outta here with that bigoted nonsense. This is a protest about Jewish suffering and getting Israeli civilians returned home. You don’t need to harm Palestinian civilians to promote that cause. Supporting the extremely valid cause of getting the hostages released doesn’t make any horrible thing you wish to say about Palestinians ok.”

The reason this protestor is saying that Israelis are indigenous to hell is because they are a majority Jewish population. Her sign is not saying that Palestinians are also indigenous. Her sign is not demanding any sort of political action. Her sign is not helping Palestinians in any way. Her sign is solely attacking Jews for saying that they are indigenous to land that they are, in fact, indigenous to.

Jewish indigeneity does not negate Palestinian indigeneity. Multiple groups can be indigenous to the same place.

The reason you do not see a problem with this sign is because you agree with this sign. And because you agree with this sign, you think that makes the sign acceptable. I’m not entirely sure whether or not you are capable of self reflection, but I’m willing to bet that you think you are. I’m willing to bet that you have heard of the concept of anti-racism, which involves deconstructing unconscious, systemic bias. I am willing to bet that you can at least grasp the general concept that people often have unintentional but harmful biases that harm marginalized groups and that it is important to address these biases.

This may surprise you, but unconscious biases exist in everyone. Not just right wing bigots. Supporting the objectively correct idea that Palestinian civilians should not be bombed does not excuse the racism that occurs there. So, saying that you “don’t see a problem with” something that causes harm to the Jewish community doesn’t mean that it doesn’t cause harm to the Jewish community. It means you have a blind spot caused by systemic antisemitism. If you’re not a bigot, you should want to address that and grow as a person.

But since your instinct was to come on to a post about Jewish suffering in order to compound that suffering, gaslight me, and engage in even more antisemitic behaviors, I’m also willing to bet that you do not believe that anti-racist work applies to you or antisemitism in general. You believe that you are unquestionably morally correct and I am unquestionably morally wrong and this makes anything you say to me, no matter how awful, justified.

I do not, in fact, sound like a Nazi. Because (first of all) I am a Jewish person begging people to not be antisemitic. That’s kind of the most not-Nazi thing a person can do. Also, I do not sound like a Nazi, because I am not calling for anyone else to suffer. I am not justifying Palestinian suffering. I am not saying that Palestinians deserve to suffer in order to promote my political ideals.

I am saying that solving Palestinian suffering is not contingent upon causing Jewish suffering.

But…you know this already. You’re just trying to cast me as a villain because you are enjoying how this conflict is (temporarily) allowing you to be antisemitic while pretending you actually care about Palestinians. You’re thrilled to have a chance to make Jewish people feel terrible and then being able to shout “nuh uh, you!” at any Jew who points this out.

But this conflict will end. Maybe not for six months. Maybe a year. There will be a ceasefire, and it will end. And when it’s over, I’ll be secure in the knowledge that I have done nothing to call for harm to anyone. And you will have to live with the antisemitic dreck you have spewed here and, likely, elsewhere. You will have to live with the fact that you think bigotry is ok as long as it’s directed at the “right” people. You will have to live with the fact that, during a 400% increase in antisemitism that is well documented, you chose to lend your voice toward making life worse for Jews. That’s not activism. That’s not helping Palestine. That’s just hurting Jews.

The binary isn’t “support Israel” or “support Palestine.” The binary is “choose peace” or “choose conflict.” You cannot choose peace if you refuse to acknowledge the suffering this whole conflict has on Jews, Arabs, Palestinians, Muslims, and Israelis. You cannot choose peace if you think Jewish or Israeli suffering is ok.

Nobody’s suffering is OK. That’s the whole point.

Signed on to Twitter today in the first time in over a month

I’m so tired.

When we say there are antisemites at these marches and we don’t feel physically safe attending them believe us instead of saying that YOURE not antisemitic. Fine. Don’t be antisemitic. Just stop people who ARE.