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Antisemitic poster spotted at an allegedly anti-war rally in San Francisco on February 16, 2003, which incorporated both the motifs of "moneyish Jews" and "Zio-Nazis". The slur *ZIONIST PIGS*^[2] was also used.

Antisemitic graffiti in Madrid, 2003, equating the Star of David with the dollar and Nazi swastika.

Anti-Zionism means opposition to Zionism. It is commonly associated with the State of Israel. Those opposed to Zionism are known as anti-Zionists. Anti-Zionism emerged around the same time as Zionism when members of the Jewish diaspora began to move to Palestine. Some anti-Zionists accuse Zionism of being settler colonialism.^[3]

Reception

Endorsement

Purported anti-Zionists oppose the existence of Israel under various pretexts, including concerns about Jewish nationalism, Palestinian displacement and geopolitical implications. Anti-Zionism is the strongest in the predominantly Muslim Arab world, especially among Palestinians. Some anti-Zionists^[who?] consider Israel as "the bastard child of an evil ideology" and believe Israel to have been "born in sin"^{[verification needed]} as a "racist, settler-colonial state". They accuse the Zionists of "pursuing ethnic cleansing, expulsions, theft and apartheid" against the Palestinians.^[4]

Media from countries subscribed to anti-Zionism,^[source?] such as Kuwait sometimes delegitimizes Israel as a "Zionist entity". ^[5] ^{[better source needed]} Anti-Zionists also justify themselves by phrasing their arguments as mere criticism of Israel's policies, including the occupation of the West Bank, Golan Heights and the blockade of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.^[6]^[7] ^[8] ^{[better source needed]}

Criticism

Critics of anti-Zionism pointed out that many antisemites passed off their prejudice as anti-Zionism, often in the form of biased criticism or mendacious claims about Israel, if not rejecting the right of Israel to exist as a haven for Jews in a world full of violent antisemitism.^[9]

Under the definition of antisemitism anti-Zionism in the sense of opposing the Jewish right to self-determination is a form of antisemitism.^[10]

David Hirsh, a renowned British Jewish historian, criticized the perceived disingenuousness of the anti-Zionists:^[11]^[12]

The left-wing tradition of antizionism, which professes unconditional opposition to antisemitism, is only one tradition. In the real world that tradition finds itself in a broad alliance with antisemitic movements that do not find the distinction between hostility to Israel and hostility to Jews to be of much significance [...] it is impossible to tell whether an element of antizionist rhetoric is right-wing, left-wing, or Islamist. [...] Antizionism does not allow Jews, individuals or communities, to define their own identities. It defines their Zionism for them, against their will [...] . It defines Zionism as racism and as support for apartheid. In so doing it defines most Jews as alien to any decent community of human beings.

Walter Laqueur, a renowned German-American Jewish historian,^[13] also pointed out a similar issue with the anti-Zionists:^[14]

In the light of history, the argument that anti-Zionism is different from antisemitism is not very convincing. No one disputes that in the late Stalinist period anti-Zionism was merely a synonym for antisemitism. [...] It has been noted that in the Muslim and particularly the Arab world, the fine distinctions between Jews and Zionists hardly ever existed. [...] There is a great deal of [...] racial and social persecution [...] from Cambodia to much of Africa [...] But there have been no protest demonstrations concerning the fate of [...] the Uighur in China, the Copts in Egypt, or the Bahai in Iran (to name but a few persecuted peoples) [...] .

References

↑ Caplan, Neil (2015-05-22). Palestine Jewry and the Arab Question, 1917-1925 (RLE Israel and Palestine). Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-44282-0.
↑ A modified variant of the medieval European antisemitic slur Jewish pigs, later popularized by Martin Luther in the 16th century.
↑ "Israel is a Settler Colonial state and That's Ok". Research Gate. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
↑ Rutland, Suzanne (2024-03-27). "When does anti-Zionism become antisemitism? A Jewish historian's perspective". The Conversation. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
↑ "Kuwaiti newspaper apologies for using 'Israel'". The New Arab. 16 January 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
↑ "Israel's Occupation: 50 Years of Dispossession". Amnesty International. 7 June 2017.
↑ Rose, Sunniva (6 May 2019). "Shebaa farms: why Hezbollah uses Israel's occupation of a tiny strip of land to justify its arsenal". The National. Archived from the original on 2024-02-21. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
↑ "Gaza Strip: A beginner's guide to an enclave under blockade". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
↑
- "Anti-Zionism as Antisemitism: How Anti-Zionist Language from the Left and Right Vilifies Jews". Anti-Defamation League. April 4, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2024. Even before Israel was founded, conversations about the Zionist movement and the creation of the State of Israel at times included explicit anti-Jewish animus [...] longtime and vociferous Jew-haters like David Duke and Louis Farrakhan may use the language of anti-Zionism for tactical purposes while expressing their antisemitic beliefs. For example, they may swap out the word "Jew" and replace it with "Zionist" [...] Additionally, this rhetoric villainizes the vast majority of Jews around the world who identify with Zionism or feel a connection or kinship with Israel.
- "Far-Right Influencers on X Promote Anti-Zionism, Hate and Conspiracy Theories". Anti-Defamation League. July 17, 2024. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
- "Anti-Zionism as Anti-Semitism". Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved October 23, 2024. Many of these anti-Israel statements were more than mere criticism of Israeli policy, which would, of course, be legitimate; they were anti-Semitic because they questioned Israel's right to exist, singled out the Jewish state for harsh criticism while ignoring anti-Israel terrorism. [...] Anti-Jewish sentiments were often mixed into anti-Israel speeches or written pieces, showing that many of the critics were not seeking a political discussion, but were intent on spreading hateful stereotypes. Anti-Zionism became an acceptable way to express anti-Semitic sentiments.
- "Defining antisemitism: Why anti-Zionism is a form of antisemitism". World Jewish Congress. Retrieved October 23, 2024. To grasp the malicious nature of anti-Zionism, one first must understand the shapeshifting nature of antisemitism. Jews have been the subject of antisemitic conspiracy myths for centuries [...] led to persecution and put Jews in grave physical danger. [...] those spreading it utilize terms such as Zionist and Zionism as euphemisms for Jewish people and their national belief systems.
  Why anti-Zionism is antisemitic:
  Anti-Zionism denies Jews their right to self-defense [...]
  Anti-Zionism denies the historical connection of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel [...]
  Anti-Zionism perpetuates false accusations about Jews and Israelis [...]
  Anti-Zionism is used as a tool to ignore blatant anti-Jewish hatred [...] As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. explained so succinctly, "When people criticize Zionists, they mean Jews. You're talking antisemitism."
  Anti-Zionism and its inherent demonization of Jews leads to violence [...].
↑
"Working Definition Of Antisemitism". World Jewish Congress. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism :
- Calling for, aiding, or justifying the killing or harming of Jews in the name of a radical ideology or an extremist view of religion.
- Making mendacious, dehumanizing, demonizing, or stereotypical allegations about Jews as such or the power of Jews as collective — such as, especially but not exclusively, the myth about a world Jewish conspiracy or of Jews controlling the media, economy, government or other societal institutions.
- Accusing Jews as a people of being responsible for real or imagined wrongdoing committed by a single Jewish person or group, or even for acts committed by non-Jews.
- Denying the fact, scope, mechanisms (e.g. gas chambers) or intentionality of the genocide of the Jewish people at the hands of National Socialist Germany and its supporters and accomplices during World War II (the Holocaust).
- Accusing the Jews as a people, or Israel as a state, of inventing or exaggerating the Holocaust.
- Accusing Jewish citizens of being more loyal to Israel, or to the alleged priorities of Jews worldwide, than to the interests of their own nations.
- Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.
- Applying double standards by requiring of it a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation.
- Using the symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism (e.g., claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) to characterize Israel or Israelis.
- Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.
- Holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the state of Israel.
↑ Hirsh, David (12 January 2022). "How the Word "Zionist" Functions in Antisemitic Vocabulary". Journal of Contemporary Antisemitism. 4 (2). doi:10.26613/jca/4.2.83.
↑ Hirsh, David. "It was the new phenomenon of Israel-focused antisemitism that required the new definition. David Hirsh responds to a recent 'call to reject' the IHRA". Fathom Journal.
↑ Siegel, Fred (October 3, 2018). "Setting My Compass by Walter Laqueur, 1921-2018". Tablet Magazine. Retrieved October 23, 2024. Walter Laqueur wrote with the range of a journalist and the depth of a historian. He helped set my intellectual compass.

Laqueur was born in Germany but escaped to Israel in 1939, leaving behind parents who perished in the Holocaust. While working the land, a fellow kibbutznik taught him Russian and by the mid-1960s he was writing books on the Soviets and the Middle East.
↑ Laqueur, Walter (2006). "The New Antisemitism". The Changing Face of Antisemitism: From Ancient Times to the Present Day. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195341218. Retrieved October 23, 2024.

[1] Caplan, Neil (2015-05-22). Palestine Jewry and the Arab Question, 1917-1925 (RLE Israel and Palestine). Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-44282-0.

[2] A modified variant of the medieval European antisemitic slur Jewish pigs, later popularized by Martin Luther in the 16th century.

[3] "Israel is a Settler Colonial state and That's Ok". Research Gate. Retrieved 5 February 2024.

[4] Rutland, Suzanne (2024-03-27). "When does anti-Zionism become antisemitism? A Jewish historian's perspective". The Conversation. Retrieved 2024-08-12.

[5] "Kuwaiti newspaper apologies for using 'Israel'". The New Arab. 16 January 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2024.

[6] "Israel's Occupation: 50 Years of Dispossession". Amnesty International. 7 June 2017.

[7] Rose, Sunniva (6 May 2019). "Shebaa farms: why Hezbollah uses Israel's occupation of a tiny strip of land to justify its arsenal". The National. Archived from the original on 2024-02-21. Retrieved 3 February 2024.

[8] "Gaza Strip: A beginner's guide to an enclave under blockade". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 3 February 2024.

[Analyses_II-9] 
"Anti-Zionism as Antisemitism: How Anti-Zionist Language from the Left and Right Vilifies Jews". Anti-Defamation League. April 4, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2024. Even before Israel was founded, conversations about the Zionist movement and the creation of the State of Israel at times included explicit anti-Jewish animus [...] longtime and vociferous Jew-haters like David Duke and Louis Farrakhan may use the language of anti-Zionism for tactical purposes while expressing their antisemitic beliefs. For example, they may swap out the word "Jew" and replace it with "Zionist" [...] Additionally, this rhetoric villainizes the vast majority of Jews around the world who identify with Zionism or feel a connection or kinship with Israel.

"Far-Right Influencers on X Promote Anti-Zionism, Hate and Conspiracy Theories". Anti-Defamation League. July 17, 2024. Retrieved October 23, 2024.

"Anti-Zionism as Anti-Semitism". Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved October 23, 2024. Many of these anti-Israel statements were more than mere criticism of Israeli policy, which would, of course, be legitimate; they were anti-Semitic because they questioned Israel's right to exist, singled out the Jewish state for harsh criticism while ignoring anti-Israel terrorism. [...] Anti-Jewish sentiments were often mixed into anti-Israel speeches or written pieces, showing that many of the critics were not seeking a political discussion, but were intent on spreading hateful stereotypes. Anti-Zionism became an acceptable way to express anti-Semitic sentiments.

"Defining antisemitism: Why anti-Zionism is a form of antisemitism". World Jewish Congress. Retrieved October 23, 2024. To grasp the malicious nature of anti-Zionism, one first must understand the shapeshifting nature of antisemitism. Jews have been the subject of antisemitic conspiracy myths for centuries [...] led to persecution and put Jews in grave physical danger. [...] those spreading it utilize terms such as Zionist and Zionism as euphemisms for Jewish people and their national belief systems.
Why anti-Zionism is antisemitic:
Anti-Zionism denies Jews their right to self-defense [...]
Anti-Zionism denies the historical connection of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel [...]
Anti-Zionism perpetuates false accusations about Jews and Israelis [...]
Anti-Zionism is used as a tool to ignore blatant anti-Jewish hatred [...] As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. explained so succinctly, "When people criticize Zionists, they mean Jews. You're talking antisemitism."
Anti-Zionism and its inherent demonization of Jews leads to violence [...].

[10] "Anti-Zionism as Antisemitism: How Anti-Zionist Language from the Left and Right Vilifies Jews". Anti-Defamation League. April 4, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2024. Even before Israel was founded, conversations about the Zionist movement and the creation of the State of Israel at times included explicit anti-Jewish animus [...] longtime and vociferous Jew-haters like David Duke and Louis Farrakhan may use the language of anti-Zionism for tactical purposes while expressing their antisemitic beliefs. For example, they may swap out the word "Jew" and replace it with "Zionist" [...] Additionally, this rhetoric villainizes the vast majority of Jews around the world who identify with Zionism or feel a connection or kinship with Israel.

[11] "Far-Right Influencers on X Promote Anti-Zionism, Hate and Conspiracy Theories". Anti-Defamation League. July 17, 2024. Retrieved October 23, 2024.

[12] "Anti-Zionism as Anti-Semitism". Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved October 23, 2024. Many of these anti-Israel statements were more than mere criticism of Israeli policy, which would, of course, be legitimate; they were anti-Semitic because they questioned Israel's right to exist, singled out the Jewish state for harsh criticism while ignoring anti-Israel terrorism. [...] Anti-Jewish sentiments were often mixed into anti-Israel speeches or written pieces, showing that many of the critics were not seeking a political discussion, but were intent on spreading hateful stereotypes. Anti-Zionism became an acceptable way to express anti-Semitic sentiments.

[13] "Defining antisemitism: Why anti-Zionism is a form of antisemitism". World Jewish Congress. Retrieved October 23, 2024. To grasp the malicious nature of anti-Zionism, one first must understand the shapeshifting nature of antisemitism. Jews have been the subject of antisemitic conspiracy myths for centuries [...] led to persecution and put Jews in grave physical danger. [...] those spreading it utilize terms such as Zionist and Zionism as euphemisms for Jewish people and their national belief systems.
Why anti-Zionism is antisemitic:
Anti-Zionism denies Jews their right to self-defense [...]
Anti-Zionism denies the historical connection of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel [...]
Anti-Zionism perpetuates false accusations about Jews and Israelis [...]
Anti-Zionism is used as a tool to ignore blatant anti-Jewish hatred [...] As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. explained so succinctly, "When people criticize Zionists, they mean Jews. You're talking antisemitism."
Anti-Zionism and its inherent demonization of Jews leads to violence [...].

[IHRA-10] "Working Definition Of Antisemitism". World Jewish Congress. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism :
Calling for, aiding, or justifying the killing or harming of Jews in the name of a radical ideology or an extremist view of religion.

Making mendacious, dehumanizing, demonizing, or stereotypical allegations about Jews as such or the power of Jews as collective — such as, especially but not exclusively, the myth about a world Jewish conspiracy or of Jews controlling the media, economy, government or other societal institutions.

Accusing Jews as a people of being responsible for real or imagined wrongdoing committed by a single Jewish person or group, or even for acts committed by non-Jews.

Denying the fact, scope, mechanisms (e.g. gas chambers) or intentionality of the genocide of the Jewish people at the hands of National Socialist Germany and its supporters and accomplices during World War II (the Holocaust).

Accusing the Jews as a people, or Israel as a state, of inventing or exaggerating the Holocaust.

Accusing Jewish citizens of being more loyal to Israel, or to the alleged priorities of Jews worldwide, than to the interests of their own nations.

Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.

Applying double standards by requiring of it a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation.

Using the symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism (e.g., claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) to characterize Israel or Israelis.

Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.

Holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the state of Israel.

[15] Calling for, aiding, or justifying the killing or harming of Jews in the name of a radical ideology or an extremist view of religion.

[16] Making mendacious, dehumanizing, demonizing, or stereotypical allegations about Jews as such or the power of Jews as collective — such as, especially but not exclusively, the myth about a world Jewish conspiracy or of Jews controlling the media, economy, government or other societal institutions.

[17] Accusing Jews as a people of being responsible for real or imagined wrongdoing committed by a single Jewish person or group, or even for acts committed by non-Jews.

[18] Denying the fact, scope, mechanisms (e.g. gas chambers) or intentionality of the genocide of the Jewish people at the hands of National Socialist Germany and its supporters and accomplices during World War II (the Holocaust).

[19] Accusing the Jews as a people, or Israel as a state, of inventing or exaggerating the Holocaust.

[20] Accusing Jewish citizens of being more loyal to Israel, or to the alleged priorities of Jews worldwide, than to the interests of their own nations.

[21] Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.

[22] Applying double standards by requiring of it a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation.

[23] Using the symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism (e.g., claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) to characterize Israel or Israelis.

[24] Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.

[25] Holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the state of Israel.

[11] Hirsh, David (12 January 2022). "How the Word "Zionist" Functions in Antisemitic Vocabulary". Journal of Contemporary Antisemitism. 4 (2). doi:10.26613/jca/4.2.83.

[12] Hirsh, David. "It was the new phenomenon of Israel-focused antisemitism that required the new definition. David Hirsh responds to a recent 'call to reject' the IHRA". Fathom Journal.

[13] Siegel, Fred (October 3, 2018). "Setting My Compass by Walter Laqueur, 1921-2018". Tablet Magazine. Retrieved October 23, 2024. Walter Laqueur wrote with the range of a journalist and the depth of a historian. He helped set my intellectual compass.

Laqueur was born in Germany but escaped to Israel in 1939, leaving behind parents who perished in the Holocaust. While working the land, a fellow kibbutznik taught him Russian and by the mid-1960s he was writing books on the Soviets and the Middle East.

[14] Laqueur, Walter (2006). "The New Antisemitism". The Changing Face of Antisemitism: From Ancient Times to the Present Day. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195341218. Retrieved October 23, 2024.

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 </ref>
-Under the definition of antisemitism anti-Zionism in the sense of opposing the Jewish right to [[self-determination]] is a form of antisemitism.
+Under the definition of antisemitism anti-Zionism in the sense of opposing the Jewish right to [[self-determination]] is a form of antisemitism.<ref name="IHRA">{{cite web |website=World Jewish Congress |url=https://www.worldjewishcongress.org/en/working-definition-of-antisemitism |title=Working Definition Of Antisemitism |access-date=October 22, 2024}}<br>'''IHRA ''Working Definition of Antisemitism'' ''':
+* Calling for, aiding, or justifying the killing or harming of Jews in the name of a radical [[ideology]] or an [[Extremism|extremist]] view of [[religion]].
+* Making [[Antisemitic trope|mendacious, dehumanizing, demonizing, or stereotypical allegations about Jews]] as such or the power of Jews as collective — such as, especially but not exclusively, the myth about a [[Antisemitic trope#World domination|world Jewish conspiracy]] or of [[Antisemitic trope#Controlling the media|Jews controlling the media]], [[Antisemitic trope#Economic tropes|economy]], government or other societal institutions.
+* Accusing Jews as a people of being responsible for real or imagined wrongdoing committed by a single Jewish person or group, or even for acts committed by [[Gentiles|non-Jews]].
+* [[Holocaust denial|Denying the fact, scope, mechanisms (e.g. gas chambers) or intentionality of the genocide of the Jewish people]] at the hands of [[Nazi Germany|National Socialist Germany]] and its supporters and accomplices during [[World War II]] ([[The Holocaust|the Holocaust]]).
+* Accusing the Jews as a people, or Israel as a state, of inventing or [[Antisemitic trope#Fabricating or exaggerating the Holocaust|exaggerating]] the Holocaust.
+* [[Antisemitic trope#Dual loyalty|Accusing Jewish citizens of being more loyal to Israel, or to the alleged priorities of Jews worldwide]], than to the interests of their own nations.
+* '''Denying the Jewish people their right to [[self-determination]], e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.'''
+* Applying [[Hypocrisy|double standards]] by requiring of it a behavior not expected or demanded of any other [[Democracy|democratic]] nation.
+* Using the symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism (e.g., [[Antisemitic trope#Guilt for the death of Jesus|claims of Jews killing Jesus]] or [[Antisemitic trope#Blood libel|blood libel]]) to characterize Israel or Israelis.
+* '''Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the [[Nazi Germany|Nazis]].'''
+* Holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the state of [[Israel]].</ref>
 David Hirsh, a renowned British Jewish historian, criticized the perceived disingenuousness of the anti-Zionists:<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Hirsh|first=David|date=12 January 2022|title=How the Word “Zionist” Functions in Antisemitic Vocabulary|url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.26613/jca.4.2.83/html|journal=Journal of Contemporary Antisemitism|volume=4|issue=2|doi=10.26613/jca/4.2.83}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Hirsh|first=David|url=https://fathomjournal.org/it-was-the-new-phenomenon-of-israel-focused-antisemitism-that-required-the-new-definition-of-antisemitism-david-hirsh-responds-to-a-recent-call-to-reject-the-ihra|title=It was the new phenomenon of Israel-focused antisemitism that required the new definition. David Hirsh responds to a recent ‘call to reject’ the IHRA|journal=Fathom Journal}}</ref>