Anti-Zionism rooted in anti-Semitism

At an appearance at Harvard University, Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr. was approached by a student who attacked Zionism. Dr.
King’s response? “When people criticize Zionists, they
mean Jews. You’re talking anti-Semitism.”

In Mariam Jukaku’s submission, “Anti-Zionism not a
racist ideology,” (April 19), she makes a number of
statements that can be refuted with nothing more than the simple
truth. Contrary to her assertion, Zionism was not responsible for
the expulsion of “more than 700,000 indigenous
Palestinians.” Arabs and Jews had been living side by side in
that area for quite some time. But when the State of Israel was
created on a sliver of land alongside a Palestinian state, a number
of Arab nations went on the attack. Apparently, 22 countries
weren’t enough for them.

In truth, Arabs living in Palestine were “displaced”
by a war started by their own brothers who couldn’t stand to
see more Jews living in their midst.

Jukaku also refers to the multitude of U.N. resolutions against
Israel. Isn’t it interesting that the United Nations has
condemned Israel for bulldozing the homes of terrorists far more
than it has condemned North Korea or China for slaughtering their
own people? This is the same United Nations that put Sudan, a
cesspool of human rights violations, on the Human Rights
Commission. This is the same United Nations that put Syria, a
country that harbors and supports terrorists, on the Security
Council.

This is the same United Nations that once equated Zionism with
racism. Jukaku doesn’t want to be called racist for her
anti-Zionist views, but I wonder if she’s okay with Zionists
being called racist. The United Nations has been infested with
anti-Semites for decades.

Furthermore, Jukaku mentions the “apartheid wall” in
Israel. It takes less than 30 minutes to drive from the shores of
Tel Aviv to the West Bank ““ I know because I’ve done
it. So I’d like you to imagine something. Imagine that you
live in a nation called Los Angeles and everyone south of Long
Beach and north of Thousand Oaks wants you dead. Do you think you
might put up a fence? You think?

The Israeli security fence is a temporary and completely
reversible defensive measure. To call Israel an “apartheid
state” is both laughable and insulting to the black
population of South Africa who lived through a real apartheid.

On a recent trip to Israel, I watched a World Cup qualifying
soccer match between Israel and Ireland. I watched the game at
Mike’s Place, a popular bar that was blown up by a
Palestinian terrorist in 2003. The Israelis almost lost the game,
but were saved by a late goal. Who scored the goal? Abas Suan, an
Arab. In the next game, against France, who scored the goal to tie
the game in the waning minutes? Walid Badir, an Arab.

Those two gentlemen are celebrated as heroes in the
“apartheid” State of Israel. Let’s play a game.
Name the Jew on the Saudi Arabian soccer team. Or the Egyptian
soccer team. Or any Arab soccer team. Give up?

Lastly, Jukaku mentions Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss and his
anti-Zionist stance, arguing that “surely an Orthodox rabbi
could not be called anti-Semitic.” Jukaku conveniently fails
to mention that Rabbi Weiss is the spokesman for the Neturei Karta,
a Jewish cult that calls for the destruction of the State of
Israel. Weiss himself has publicly burned the Israeli flag and
admits that he prays for the dismantling of the Jewish state.
Neturei Karta even had a minister in the government of Yasser
Arafat.

Why does Rabbi Weiss want Israel to disappear? It has nothing to
do with the Palestinians. He actually believes that Jews were
exiled from the holy land by divine decree, and any attempt to come
out of exile and establish a state is a rebellion against the
wishes of God.

It is perfectly fine ““ even healthy ““ to criticize
the policies of the Israeli government, or any government for that
matter. But Jukaku speaks out against “absurd
propaganda” when she’s spewing it herself. Zionism has
nothing to do with destroying the Palestinian people. Zionism is
the desire on the part of the Jewish people for a place where they
can be free of the persecution that has followed them throughout
history.

It is amazing that Christians and Buddhists and Muslims can have
numerous land masses to themselves ““ but when Jews want a
crumb to call home, people call it an outrage. If that’s not
anti-Semitism, what is?

Zionism represents Jewish self-determination. It has given the
Jews one small place to live with their own brothers and sisters.
And it has merely prevented the extinction of the Jewish
people.

So when is anti-Zionism anti-Semitism?

Always.

Alony is a graduate student in the UCLA School of Theater,
Film and Television.