#jews for Palestinian liberation

[iamdotwav88]

Always

[iwieldthesword]

I need to talk about this because it's making me feel insane.

Last week, my white leftist goyisch friends sat me, a wholeass antizionist Jew, down for a "talk" because they "needed to check in about Palestine" and make sure "our values aligned before we hung out again". They apparently needed to "suss out" where I stood on Palestinian rights, despite having had several conversations about Palestine and them being some of my closest friends. They needed to check, to search for and uncover my true values, because I had said some "disturbing things" that had made them "suspicious".

Disturbing things included:

Supporting IfNotNow which is a "liberal zionist organization" because it normalizes Jewish heritage in the Levant

Not bringing Palestine up enough, despite them also not bringing it up (this was apparently a test)

Mentioning that the Houthi's flag talks about cursing all Jews

Saying Stalin was antisemitic because of the "all the paw-grihms"

...and apparently other things they wouldn't specify, but had been tracking for months.

To clarify, I am an antizionist Jew from three generations of antizionist Jews. I have been vocal in my support of Palestinian liberation and in my condemnation both of Israel's actions and its violent founding as a state, and of zionism in many of its forms. I am a regular donor to Palestinian and Jewish NGOs and advocate for Jewish antizionism in person, at temple, and online. I have been talking about Palestinian liberation before they could point to Gaza on a map. But they needed to make sure, they needed to "suss out", they needed to check. And it's notable that the majority of moments that made them suspicious of me were times where I talked about antisemitism: not about Palestinian liberation, not about Israeli decolonization, not about anything actually relevant to Palestine. It was talking about antisemitism that made them check to see if I was a cryptozionist.

One of the most pervasive and insidious forms of antisemitism is the idea that Jews are inherently untrustworthy and suspicious. You have to constantly be on guard, track what they say and do, "suss out" the real truth. You have to keep them in line and and watch them carefully because they're liars and sneaks, and if you're not looking closely they'll return to their real values (and drag you down with them). This is where the idea of "cryptozionist" comes from and what it's directly building off of: the inherent untrustworthiness of Jews and the need to check. Because no matter how close you become you can't actually trust them, and any upstanding gentile should make sure to avoid associating with Jews before "sussing out" their real allegiances and intentions. You have to make them turn out their pockets, just in case.

I'm the first and only Jew they actually were friends with; I know because they've told me (strangely proud of it in the way white Americans are proud of that kind of thing). They've asked me questions about Judaism and fawned over how beautiful and unique it was for me to be connected to my community and culture. Pre-October 7th, one of them had even mentioned being interested in coming to services at my temple. She still has my copy of our siddur. But now she needed to "check" before she could be seen with me in public. Which is what it was: it wasn't a "you're my friend and I need to give you some feedback because you're fucking up" kind of intervention (which is normal and important to have), it was a trial. It was a last chance for me to prove to them that I'm clean-enough that they could afford to risk being seen with me in public, just in case someone noticed them fraternizing with a hypothetical Enemy and their leftism was compromised. It was a test to make sure that I behave properly when required to, that I'd play along and do what I'm told and turn out my pockets if asked (because any refusal would validate the notion of having something to hide). And above all it was an opportunity for them to reaffirm their own cleanliness by putting my imagined immorality in its place.

I did what I needed to do: I smiled. I apologized. I "didn't know that". I "appreciated the feedback". I turned out my pockets because what else could I do? They'd decided who I was and what I believed, regardless of what I said or did, so there was no point in explaining that they were wrong about me. If I had told them they were being antisemitic, it would just have been proof that they were right. Caring about antisemitism is a dogwhistle in the spaces they've chosen: it's not a real form of oppression, it's a tactic for sneaky, lying Jews to weasel out of admitting their true alliances. There was nothing I could say.

Nothing's really changed for me. I'm going to continue my activism for Palestinian liberation rooted in my culture and my faith. Antizionism is still not antisemitism. But I got a reminder that many white goyisch leftists fundamentally just don't trust Jews, and that the activist spaces they're in not only exacerbate their antisemitism in an increasingly insular echo chamber, but also allow them to finally vent their internalized bigotry in a socially-acceptable way. In my former friends' eyes, what they did was activism—disavowing a Jew (and making me feel humiliated, scared, and unclean in the process) as a cathartic stand-in for doing fucking anything for actual Palestinian liberation—but for me it was a grief that I'll be feeling for a long time: not only over losing friends I loved and trusted, but also over my sense of belonging and security in leftist spaces.

[rebel-girl-queen-of-my-world]

“From Palestine to Stonewall,

Break the chains and let them fall!

The first Pride was a protest,

We will not stop! We will not rest!”

I and a number of other activists marched with @pawboston, a queer labor rights group, in order to spread our message of #NoPrideInGenocide. We handed out fliers against pinkwashing with action items for supporting Palestinian liberation (see last images). The outpouring of warmth and support was, as you can see, deafening in the best way!

It was another gut punch to come home to news of the Nuseirat massacre after such a positive day. I can only hope our resources will do some good, and that the passion for justice shown by the hundreds of spectators, marchers, and activists alike will help us aid in Palestine’s liberation.

Let @bostonprideforthepeople observe how they have become the very corporate, complicit, cop-ridden Pride we sought to escape from.

[rotzaprachim]

a longer analysis needed maybe but I think we’re giving too much moral credit to white supremacists and white nationalists when we say thing like “it’s just a fight if they hate Jews or Muslims more.” They hate us both and in neither interchangeable nor neatly separable ways, just like how antisemitism and Islamophobia are neither interchangeable nor fully separable and deeply racialized ideologies that often get misunderstood as simply “religious.” What they’re actually doing is making strategic decisions about the political capital they can use. Can someone be radicalized in a given moment against Muslims, or against Jews? What is the best way to advance our movement? Can we push a broad platform of hatred towards jihadi terrorists who are going to invade western society, or get people worked up about the Zionist deep state globalists who control our government from within? What is the most effective way to radicalize someone into not only hatred but the idea entire ethnic and religious groups are at the root of all our social problems and that the nation - or the world - would be better without them? Do not assume innocence. And furthermore, do not assume you are safe from their schema of who the world would be better without, even if they aren’t saying your name, right now

[fireflysongbirdperson]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jewish Voice for Peace (@jewishvoiceforpeace)

[edenfenixblogs]

Reminder! But be aware that many Jews use the term Zionist/Zionism in a way that you do not understand it/are not familiar with! Many Jewish people who you would define as Zionists and/or people who have all the same politics as you may:

1. Call themselves Zionists because it is a term with deeply individual meanings for many Jews

2. Not call themselves Zionists, but bristle at hearing the term “Zionist” be used as a pejorative because the history of the word Zionist being used as an antisemitic dogwhistle in leftism, communist Russia, and Arab extremist organizations (and because I am Jewish and on the internet I will state explicitly that no, of course I do not think all Arabs are extremists. I do not think all Muslims are extremists. I do not tolerate Islamophobia in any way on my blog or in real life. If I see a single even somewhat questionable instance of maybe Islamophobia in any replies here, you will be blocked and reported. I am taking the time to educate about Zionism as a dogwhistle, because I have chosen to tolerate a certain amount of feedback as a Jewish person. I am neither Arab nor Muslim so it is not my place to extend an olive branch of understanding regarding Islamophobia to you nor do I have any interest in doing so. I wholeheartedly condemn anti-Arab and Islamophobic hatred. As we all should)

3. Actively call themselves anti-Zionists because they define the term Zionism in a way that includes occupation, genocide, and expulsion

4. Actively call themselves anti-Zionists but still believe that Jewish people as an ethnoreligous group are inherently indigenous to the lands around Jerusalem while ALSO considering Palestinians to be indigenous to that same land.

5. Actively call themselves anti-Zionists because they oppose the formation of any religious state whatsoever, but still believe that Jews deserve to reside where they are right now without forced expulsion.

For non-Jewish people using the term anti-Zionism, I urge you to really think about what Zionism actually means to you as a term. Like what do you think that word is? What kind of person do you think a Zionist is? What assumptions are you making in the use of that term and is it fair to expect every Jewish person to agree with that definition and why do you feel that way?

And before anyone comments on me or makes assumptions about my stance.

I do not call myself a Zionist!

I deeply oppose the current government of Israel. I had the opportunity to go on a birthright trip to Israel, and declined to go because I do not support the subjugation of Palestinians. I also chose not to go, because at the time there was a spate of bus bombings. I have family in Israel that I have never met and cannot meet because I refuse to go there out of both personal fear AND political unrest AND political/moral opposition.

I support sovereignty and equal rights and liberation and self determination for all Palestinians. I believe Palestinians are indigenous to the land.

I also believe Jewish people are indigenous to the land. Since Hadrian’s expulsion of the Jewish people from Israel/Judea in 135 and the resultant formation of Syria Palestina, there has been no place that Jews have existed that has considered them foundational parts of society or that has not expelled us. We have always been considered settlers. There is no other place in which we could even conceivably BE indigenous besides the levant. I believe that the “whiteness” of modern Jews of European descent is a product of millennia of expulsion, resettlement, and relocation. I know for a fact that PoC Jews have also REMAINED in the region since the expulsion in 135 and if they’re not indigenous to there, then who on earth is?

I believe that indigeneity does not expire. I believe that the fact that Jews sing daily prayers about their history in Israel/the levant is pretty strong evidence that Jews all over the world have never lost their connection to the region. I believe that two thousand years is a long time.

I believe that it could not matter less whether Jews or Palestinians were there “first.” What matters is the strong cultural ties BOTH cultures have to the levant. What matters is that civilians have a safe government that they can trust not to commit genocide against them. To expel them from the land of their ancestors. To banish them to settlements.

I believe colonialism is wrong. I believe imperialism is wrong. I believe there’s even more I need to learn even after living in this conflict and diaspora my entire life. I do not believe that the land that exists there right now needs to be called Israel. I only believe that there needs to be safeguards in place at a governmental level that explicitly protects the sovereignty, safety, and legitimacy of Palestinians and the Jews who live there. There must be guardrails to prevent genocide against both groups. There must be some formal institutional mechanism to ensure the safety of both parties.

I believe that none of these ideas are in conflict with one another.

Anyone telling you that the solution is straightforward is lying or has plans to harm a large number of people. You are not special. You did not invent the perfect idea that no one thought of that magically solves the issues of statelessness, fear of displacement, expulsion, or genocide. If your plan only involves helping one group without regard to the needs of the other, it is a bad plan. If you don’t believe that Jews should be expelled from Israel, is that Zionism? If you believe Jews should have self determination and representation within government that protects their interests, is that Zionism? Even if the same self determination and representation exists for Palestinians? If you are a hardcore anti-Zionist and believe that Jews do not belong in i/p at all, where do the Jews go?

Where are the Jews indigenous to that isn’t Israel? Where do they go. Europe doesn’t want us. The rest of SWANA doesn’t want us. We certainly are not indigenous to the Americas. It’s been awhile since there were expulsions from Asia (as far as I know), but they did happen there. And Asian countries have very rich indigenous histories of their own that we have no place in. The United States is increasingly violent to us and is certainly nobody’s idea of a Jewish homeland.

If your argument against Zionism is that Jews don’t belong there, where do we belong? If your argument against Zionism is that Jews don’t deserve to ever leave diaspora and should not have self determination or protection, why not us too? Again, I have no desire to go to Israel!!! I have actively rejected offers to visit Israel!!!

I don’t call this set of beliefs Zionism. I don’t believe there is a term for this set of beliefs. But someone else might disagree. And that’s the point. I’m not shaming anyone who does or does not call themselves a Zionist.

[squilliamtriker]

zionist jews never seem to figure out that them feeling "uncomfortable" or "attacked" by critique of zionism is a form of white fragility akin to when white racists are called out and get extremely defensive about it. this weaponization of fear is pretty on par with people who believe in the great replacement theory, the "we're terrified because people are trying to get rid of our way of life" when said 'way of life' is white supremacy

[jewish-microwave-laser]

jews who reject the longing for yerushalayim and eretz yisrael and believe there is no need for a jewish community in that land, i have a question—

what is your relationship with davening? what do you think about when you recite the amidah's texts of longing for redemption to the holy land, or when you shift between asking for dew to asking for rain that occurs on the last day of sukkos, or when you debate shmita (the law to stop agriculture in eretz yisrael every seven years to let the land rest), or other similar things? how do you feel about our religious holidays being tied to the climate cycle of eretz yisrael? is there a tension that you feel, and if so, how have you navigated it?

please feel free to respond to this post or send me an ask or a dm, i'm very interested in what you have to say

[sunbeamedskies]

The situation in Israel is heartbreaking. There is nothing “progressive” about rooting for civilians to die, no matter who they are. Any activist saying this is seriously disturbed. Hamas does not represent Palestine- they are a terrorist group funded by Iran. If you spoke out about Iran months ago, why are you now rooting for a group backed by Iran now?

Israel contains half the world’s entire tiny Jewish population- rooting for their civilians to die means you’re rooting for half of all Jews to die, which is antisemitic. You can be against their government and in favor of a free Palestine without saying that killing civilians is resistance. You can also be against what’s happening to Israeli civilians without calling for the same to happen to Arabs, as I’ve unfortunately seen a few do. That is just thinly veiled racism and Islamophobia. The majority of Israelis and Palestinians want peace and do not support extremism.

If you would punch a nazi in America but engage in antisemitism by rooting for Jews in another country to die at the hands of another terrorist group, you are an antisemite and need to reflect a LOT. Your desire to not ever be “wrong” when the majority of Jews tell you your ideology is lacking nuance is hurting people- value Jewish people more than your own ego, please

[starlightomatic]

since there's discourse afoot as to whether or not im a zionist, and what matters is what the collective thinks, let's find out.

[secular-jew]

In 1977, Zahir Muhsein, a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and a military commander of the PLO, in an interview with the Dutch newspaper, TROUW, declared the Palestinian people to be a propaganda invention. His exact words:

“The Palestinian people do not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct ‘Palestinian people’ to oppose Zionism.

“For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we claim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan”.

“It is common knowledge that Palestine is nothing more than southern Syria” — Ahmed Shukeiry, head of the PLO, to UN Security Council, May 31, 1956

“… Palestine is not only a part of our Arab homeland, but a basic part of southern Syria.” — Syrian President Hafez Assad, Radio Damascus, March 8. 1974

“Yes, the existence of a separate Palestinian identity serves only practical purposes. The founding of a Palestinian state is a new tool in the continuing battle against Israel …” — Zuheir Muhsin, Head of the Military Department and Executive Council, PLO, Trouw, March 1977

In the Quran, there are 10 passages which state that Allah bequeathed the land to the Jewish people. In all of these instances, it is written that there is not only the right but the obligation placed on the Sons of Israel to inherit the land. On the other hand, there is no mention in the Quran of bequeathing the land to Muslims, Arabs, Palestinians, or any other nation not called the Jewish people.

[iwieldthesword]

"Oh wow OP sounds like you weren't Their Good Jew™ enough to avoid experiencing antisemitism in antizionist spaces, I guess you'll change your mind about antizionism now!"

Actually this is so crazy, but my political activism isn't actually based on what will personally benefit me or if I'm rewarded for it, but is in fact a reflection of my moral compass and what I think is right. Way to tell on yourself that your political views and activism are 100% based on other people's approval and what you think will personally benefit you best, though! Couldn't be me.

[germiyahu]

Like the situation is not black and white. I saw people gang up on a self-avowed non Zionist pro Palestinian Jew for having boundaries when it comes to supporting Palestine. They ganged up on them for saying antisemitism should still be called out and is not necessary to support Palestine.

But when I saw with my own two eyes Palestinians on twitter begging Westerners to retweet and spread shit straight from the Protocols of the Elders of Zion and Mein Kampf, as if that would help free Palestine... I mean no Linda, this is not an example of "not speaking over oppressed people," not when those oppressed people know that certain tropes and canards can be used to target Jews around the world and they know that Westerners are receptive to them.

They are trying to use you and your naivete to collectively punish all Jews in the world. They know they're not powerful enough to kill the Jews of Israel so they want you, their loyal allies, to be radicalized into trying to hurt Jews in the Diaspora. That's the only way a lot of people in the Arab/Muslim world can think of to punish Jews. They do not see a difference between Israeli and Diaspora Jews. This is not spreading awareness, this is not #freeingPalestine, this is not "they're just trying to do whatever they can think of to get the bombs to stop falling on their children," this is just petty spiteful sadism, and they know you'll go along with it, because both of you are antisemitic at heart.

So you do have to be skeptical. You can't uncritically spread things. That goes both ways of course. But since you already interrogate every claim of antisemitism, and preemptively dismiss it as crocodile tears, Hasbara, or thinly veiled calls for Islamophobic violence... that side of the aisle is not an issue for you, clearly. But if you can't even go to the other side of the aisle and clean up house even a little bit, you're not a serious activist.

[documentationofcorruption]

How To Support Palestinian Liberation In a Jewish-Friendly Way: Solidarity And Things To Remember

1.) Make a distinction between the Israeli government/IDF and Jews. Don't say "Jews are committing war crimes against Gaza." Say "the IDF is committing war crimes against Gaza." The Israeli government uses the same trick against Palestinians.

2.) Remember there are Jewish people who face discrimination in Israel such as the Ethiopian Jewish population and Arab Jewish diaspora population.

3.) Don't let non-Jewish Zionists steal Jewish trauma for their own gain. Warmongerers like Biden and the GOP want Palestine gone so they can build military bases and harvest the abundance of gasoline in the Gaza Strip.

4.) There are grifters who are taking advantage of the human rights abuses against Gazans in order to spread anti-Semitism. Always keep an eye out for anti-Semitic dogwhistles like "((()))" along with stereotypes like Jewish people controlling everything.

5.) Please keep the Nazi/Holocaust comparisons at a minimum. The Nazis aren't the only ones in history who have committed genocide. If you are going to make them PLEASE just have sensitivity regarding Jewish generational trauma.

6.) Fight out of love for Palestinians and condemn those who fight out of hatred for Jews.

7.) Remember there are Jewish-run advocacy groups inside and outside of the Israeli state. In the Israeli state especially any sort of effort to fight for Palestinian Rights is highly dangerous. Back the people fighting Netanyahu's regime.

8.) Right now condemning anti-Jewish hate crimes is crucial because just like with anti-Palestinian hate crimes, they have been on the rise. Synagogues are being vandalized and there has been a shocking increase of Nazi ideology online. Condemning bigotry against Jewish people makes Jewish people feel safer and also benefits Palestinian liberation. By making Palestinian advocacy circles a safe place for Jewish people it becomes harder for governments to use anti-Semitism accusations.

9.) Plenty of Jewish people are pro-ceasefire and want to end the violence in Palestine so harassing random Jewish people online and spamming their comments is counterintuitive. Also, the Star of David predates the state of Israel by a couple centuries.

10.) Be there for your Jewish friends and show that Palestinian liberation can and must coexist with fighting anti-Semitism. The cycle of trauma can only end by bridging it and calling out those who exploit and perpetuate it.

Anyways.

I hope that one day the dreams of the first Palestinian socialists, a secular land where all people of Abrahamic descent are protected from discrimination, will be born; a place where Jewish people never have to fear another Holocaust and where Palestinians never have to fear another Nakba.

Never again for anyone.

(disclaimer: I am not Jewish, but want to be an ally to my Jewish friends and make sure to gatekeep Nazis and alt-right bullshit from Palestinian advocacy. I want to help keep the Palestinian liberation movement a safe place from fascist ideology. Jewish friends feel free to add to this or share your thoughts. My account is meant to be a safe place.)

[humanculi]

[lawfuljude]

absolutely fucking jarring how the media is much more interested and concerned in what YOU think about Hamas than they are with the thousands upon thousands dead Palestinians, and the inhumane conditions in Gaza. Every single interview with a Pro-Palestinian is just “yeah we know Palestinians are being killed, but that is not the important question here; do you condemn Hamas? do you not feel an ounce of empathy for Israelis?” literally fuck you.

and I’ve said this before(in a post deleted by tumblr, fuck u for that!), Israeli government and every major western media have made it their mission to depict Hamas as a terrorist group that is “worse than ISIS”, or worse than anything we have ever seen before, in order to justify the genocide of Palestinians. decontextualising the palestinian resistance and depicting Hamas as an invariably evil nihilist-cult is important because it gives Israelis the consent to carry out mass genocide of Palestinian people in the name of anti-terrorism. it should be very clear to anyone that the endless bombardments of Gaza are not simply reprisals to “terrorism” but strategic methods to ethnically cleanse Palestinians in Gaza.