Now It’s ‘Antisemitic’ to Say That Israel Practices ‘Apartheid’

"It’s actually not the rhetoric that is extreme here; it’s the underlying facts."

As you are surely aware, advocates for Israel are using an apparent surge in antisemitic attacks to try to delegitimize pro-Palestine advocacy.

Part of that effort is a move to characterize the charge that Israel is practicing apartheid as antisemitic. Four pro-Israel congresspeople sent a letter to President Biden yesterday taking aim at fellow Democrats who are critical of Israel. The four — Josh Gottheimer, Elaine Luria, Dean Phillips, and Kathy Manning, all of whom are Jewish — say Israel protects Jews, so criticisms of Israel over “apartheid” or “terrorism” are “antisemitic at their core.”

We also reject comments from Members of Congress accusing Israel of being an “apartheid state” and committing “act[s] of terrorism.” These statements are antisemitic at their core and contribute to a climate that is hostile to many Jews. We must never forget that less than eighty years ago, within the lifetime of our parents and grandparents, six million people were murdered by the Nazis in the Holocaust because they were Jews. Israel has long provided the Jewish people with a homeland in which they can be safe after facing centuries of persecution.

That reference to other House members is to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib, who have charged Israel with “apartheid.” While Ilhan Omar has leveled the “terrorism” charge (per JTA).

The idea that it is antisemitic to say Israel practices apartheid is patently absurd. The apartheid accusation has been made for years by Palestinian human rights groups who rightly object to Palestinian conditions. Lately other groups have joined on: In January Israel’s leading human rights group B’Tselem said Israel is an “apartheid . . . regime of Jewish supremacy from the river to the sea.” And a month ago Human Rights Watch issued a 213-page report saying Israel commits the crime of “apartheid” — with a systematic oppression of Palestinians, inhumane acts, and an intention to dominate Palestinians. Both B’Tselem and HRW are headed by Jews, by the way.

And let’s not even get into the long history of the apartheid charge from American visitors, including Jimmy Carter, who have been shocked by the limits on Palestinian movement and residency and representation in the West Bank. And by the way, two U.S. Jewish groups — IfNotNow and Jewish Voice for Peace — state that Israel practices apartheid.

If the shoe fits, wear it. . .

Nonetheless, the Israel lobby has set up this new front in the battle for Israel’s legitimacy. They’re pushing it.

An Israeli reporter who was granted an interview with Antony Blinken on Tuesday asked him: “When we see, for example, known figures on the far left in the United States referring to Israel as an apartheid state, are you worried that this rhetoric could lead to more anti-Semitic incidents, instead of calming things down?” (Blinken dodged the question: “one of the great things about my job . . . is I don’t do politics, I just focus on policy.”)

Bernie Sanders flubbed the question on Face the Nation, Sunday. He accepted the view that “apartheid” contributes to antisemitism. Host John Dickerson asked:

“There are a number of liberals who use the word apartheid to describe Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians, a number of them liberals in the House who use that language. The executive director of the American Jewish Congress who handled Jewish outreach for your campaign Sanders’ campaign ― Joel Rubin — has said that using the word has increased the level of vitriol that has contributed to this antisemitism. Do you think that those who share your view should not use that kind of language?”

Sanders said, “Well, I think we should tone down the rhetoric.” Though Sanders did speak about the inhumane siege of Gaza.

It’s actually not the rhetoric that is extreme here; it’s the underlying facts. And the willingness of prestige organizations to accept the truth has helped to change the U.S. discussion. That makes this a good battle to have. “Call on your government to end its sponsorship of Israeli apartheid” (say the Sunrise Movement and Adalah Justice Project in this new video.)

Source: Mondoweiss

7 Comments
  1. mijj says

    > “Now It’s ‘Antisemitic’ to Say That Israel Practices ‘Apartheid’

    … the bottom of the line is: Truth and Reality are anti-semitic.

    1. Jerry Hood says

      Satan is the Father of All Lies, and the jew is satan’s agent!!!

  2. Jerry Hood says

    The ashkeNazi jews claims to be an ” ash” in WW2 ” owens”, but are the only true Nazi survivors! And Gaza is their true,real Auschwitz= extermination camp for Palestinians!
    All Indians in America are Semites, so are their languages! Shem was the Snake in the Garden of Eden, and Cain,the murderer was his offspring,moving to Nod,the Mesoamerican Serpent culture! After 9,745 BC apocalypse,the Canaanites= Serpent people migrated to the Eastern Mediterranean and Arabian deserts,bringing the Kaaba- CUBE temple from Kabah in Youcatan peninsula…They were nicked as Phoenicians,who rose up from their own ashes,as the mythical Phoenix bird..They were the ones who built the Dragon Dusk city of Yerushalaim= Jerusalem,see Ezekiel 16:3. They built Jeri-cho,Dragon Force, and Jere-van= Dragon Lake…The modern jews, descendants of the Pharisees and Canaanites,claims Yerushalaim as their ancient and eternal capital city, admitting their Canaanite origin! Jesus knew it too,calling them Vipers= snakes,sons of the devil…The jews dance Nagila-naga= cobra song and dance! Their alphabet is snake imprints in the sand, and their president of Isrealhell,claims the title of Highest Nāsī= Serpent/ Snake!
    The zionists behave as Nazis, building pyramids of Skulls and Bones around the globe in their filthy wars, as did their Snake ancestors,like the Aztecs, pyramids with racks of Skulls! Sacrifying its own children and people!
    Shem symbokizes the Semitic Snake people of America. Ham or Cham,people of Africa. And Japhet,people of Eurasia, since then there was not known Europe as continent…
    And who were the Hebrews? Hebrew means Crosser( of Atlantic), a nomads h.b.r. and p.r.m. in ancient Egypt, nomads enjoying their slavery , often misunderstood as the priestly-astronomers caste amongst the Canaanites…And as the snakes shed shpkin,so the serpent jews shed their names, hiding their Snake-lizzard origins, up to the Shem snake in the Garden of Eden, father of Cain,the murderer…

    1. Jerry Hood says

      The Serpent cultures of Mesoamerica recorded the 5 Ages of Sun,within the Precessional Year= Anno Magnus! The name of IsRael means: Is= virgin,newbor; Ra= Sun, and el = the, or god…Newborn/ reborn Sun—Age…And Yerushalaim? Symbol of the Dragon- Milky Way, its Black hole in the Dark Rift= Milky Way Grotto, where the Sun is regularly CRUCIFIED, and reborn by each Sun Age! Our Sun’s solstice, aligned with the photon energies pf the Black hole in Milky Way! Similar symbolism has the Moon pyramid in Teotihuacan!

  3. Jerry Hood says

    Antisemite is everyone whom the snake jews hates!!!

  4. Romeo Leblanc says

    It is not only Apartheid, it’s 100% War CRIMES and Genocide against the Palestine people. Shame on the world for not Sanctioning this TERRORIST regime of israel.

  5. loongtip says

    These whining Ashkenazi/Khazarians are not Jews as they claim, but coverts to Judaism from Eastern Europe and as such, the are not even semitic! Then, as usual, these “pro Israel” putzes trot out the old lie about “ six million people were murdered by the Nazis in the Holocaust because they were Jews.” That eroneous figure has been used for various false claims since it was mooted at the first meeting of the Zionists in Basel in 1897. They are rightly condoned for their disgraceful and spiteful treatment of the Palestinians in their own country and the apartheid terrorist regime that they continue to inflict on the Palestinian people.

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