Neither Anti-Semitism nor Anti-Palestinian Bigotry Belong in the Church—or Society
By Jesse Steven Wheeler
It is becoming increasingly common to equate criticism of the Israeli government with antisemitism. As measures are taken to enshrine such associations in policy, dissenting voices are often rebuked as antisemitic. Nowhere is this found more acute than in the campaign for governments and institutions to adopt the IHRA Working Definition of Anti-Semitism, a definition effectively “designed to silence criticism of Israel and of Zionism by equating this criticism with antisemitism.” Furthermore, 243 bills have been introduced and at least 32 states have enacted legislation to outlaw BDS and sanction individuals or groups that support boycotting Israel.
Meanwhile those congresspersons who denounce such laws have been roundly condemned, even by their own party leadership, for trading in so-called “antisemitic tropes and prejudicial accusations.” For his part, Jason Greenblatt of the ADL attempted to cynically equate advocates for Palestinian justice with white supremacists. In the UK, where former Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbin was brought down by similar accusations, our dear friend, Rev. Dr. Stephen Sizer, is facing a tribunal before the Anglican church, a consequence of his tireless advocacy on behalf of Palestinian rights and unprecedented scholarship on the influence of Christian Zionism.
It must be affirmed in no uncertain terms that anti-Semitism is real. As a virulent subset of white-supremacism, it is dangerous. It has been an ongoing stain within the western cultural inheritance for millennia. It is on the rise. And, it must be condemned wherever it is found!
It, however, must be asserted that anti-Palestinian bigotry is itself a deeply destructive yet often unacknowledged force of its own. It exists within the halls of power, across the full media landscape (left, right, and center), and within deeply misguided theological ideologies and assumptions. It too must be brought to light and condemned, especially as it is the Palestinians who are daily suffering the consequences of apartheid, under military occupation, within the poverty of refugee camps, or continuously navigating the limbo of statelessness and exile.
It is important to recognize that underlying this discourse is a conflict of definitions, so we must be clear. Otherwise, that which one intends to say will not be read as such by another. Or, it will be used simply as ammunition. Key, therefore, is the critical distinction between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism. While western leaders are increasingly defining criticism of Israeli policy as antisemitic, others denounce in Zionism what they see as an inherently racist, supremacist ideology. As Journalist Jonathan Cook writes,
Antisemitism refers to the hatred of Jews. It is bigotry, plain and simple.
Anti-Zionism, on the other hand, is opposition to the political ideology of Zionism, a movement that has insisted in all its political guises on prioritizing the rights of Jews to a homeland over those, the Palestinians, who were already living there.
Anti-Zionism is not racism against Jews; it is opposition to racism by Zionist Jews.
Of course, an anti-Zionist may also be antisemitic, but it is more likely that an anti-Zionist holds his or her position for entirely rational and ethical reasons.
In fact, post-Zionist Jewish activists are oftentimes those most vocal in their opposition to Israeli treatment of Palestinians. Yet, whose definition counts? Jewish pain is real, and it must be acknowledged and accounted for. Palestinians, however, would deny historical responsibility for such pain, rightly seeing it as a primarily European sin. Yet, as a colonized people, it is they who are unjustly paying the price for the sins of the "Christian" west.
In fact, Palestinians are often desperate for their story to be told and their own ongoing suffering acknowledged. Just as one cannot relay the history of manifest destiny without the perspective of Native Americans, the “white man’s burden” without the perspective of non-white persons, or mission civilisatrice without the perspective of those having had “civilization” forced upon them, one cannot speak of Zionism without considering the perspective of Palestinians. That is unless you have already assumed the illegitimacy of Palestinian perspectives.
“If we want to be serious, rather than tribal, about a fair definition of Zionism,” writes Robert Cohen, “we need to ask the Palestinian people what they think and believe and feel about it. And if they tell us ‘Zionism is a racist endeavor’ we’d better pay attention.”
What must be acknowledged is that the same people, who for the same reasons would and should decry anti-Semitism wherever it is found, are the same people who would and should decry anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab, and anti-Muslim bigotry. It must be condemned as an affront to our common humanity as image bearers of the Divine, as an affront to our universal commitment to inalienable human rights, and as an affront to intersectional solidarity with all those facing oppression—however one chooses to frame the discourse.
To assert the rights of one group while simultaneously denying those of another is an affront to the monotheist vision, the existence of a single, universally sovereign God. There exists either liberty and justice for all, or liberty and justice for none. My rights cannot negate the rights of another, nor can I pursue them at another’s expense.
For myself, as a white western Christian, the first step is confession and repentance; the second is restitution. We are complicit. Our hands are bloody. Our prejudices, buttressed often by our misguided ideologies and theologies, have resulted both directly and indirectly in the deaths of millions through pogroms and colonial machinations alike. Jew and Palestinian alike. For my own liberation, to paraphrase aboriginal activist Lilla Watson, is inextricably bound with that of the other.
Take Action!
Stand Together in Solidarity
#StandWithStephen. (FOSNA) Our dear friend Rev. Dr. Stephen Sizer is facing spurious accusations of anti-Semitism in response to his tireless advocacy for Palestinian human rights. His very future as an Anglican vicar is at stake, as he is set to face a Church of England tribunal (held Monday 23 – Friday 27 May 2022) arising from a complaint made in 2018. The truth is that this could be any of us. We must not shrink from spurious accusations as they come, but stand together in solidarity for truth and justice. Will you #StandWithStephen and send him a message of support, encouragement, or solidarity before his upcoming tribunal? Or, if you are familiar with Rev. Sizer and his work, will you write him an endorsement?
Contact Your Representative
House Resolution Recognizing Palestinian Nakba Introduced by Rep. Tlaib. (AJP Action) In a historic first for Congress, Representative Rashida Tlaib has introduced a resolution commemorating the 74th anniversary of the Nakba, a catastrophic crime that continues to shape the Palestinian experience today. The resolution recognizes the mass expulsion of Palestinians from historic Palestine in 1948, the refugee crisis, and the role of the U.S. in supporting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). Urge your representative to become a co-sponsor!
Read, Share & Endorse
Muslim & Allied Community Statement in Response to the ADL’s Recent Attack on Groups Supporting Palestinian Human Rights. (CAIR). FOSNA has proudly endorsed the joint-statement linked to below expressing unified support for Palestinian human rights and rejecting Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Director Jonathan Greenblatt’s recent “slander” against prominent Muslim, Jewish, Arab, and Palestinian human rights activists. If you are part of an organization that would like to endorse, contact CAIR at the link below.
Get Involved!
A Joint Letter of Gratitude: Christian Organizations in the Holy Land
On behalf of leading grassroots Christian organizations in the Holy Land, FOSNA sent a joint letter of gratitude (linked to below) to the eight congresspersons who recently sent to Secretary Blinken a letter requesting that the Biden Administration protect religious freedom abroad and expressing deep concern for the rise in attacks against Holy Land Christians.
FOSNA invites you to join us in the following events and activities:
May 19-20
A New Path to Peace: Examining a One-State Solution for Israel-Palestine. Join our friends Richmonders for Peace in Israel-Palestine (RPIP) for what promises to be an illuminating and engaging virtual conference. Sessions and speakers include:
The Case for One State: Why a Two-State Solution is No Longer a Viable Option, featuring Iymen Chehade, Gideon Levy, and Alice Rothchild
What Would the One State Look Like? How Would It Function? featuring Ramzy Baroud, Jeff Halper, Jonathan Kuttab, and Conor McCarthy
The Road to One State: How Do We Get from Here to There? featuring Dana El Kurd, Ilan Pappe, Miko Peled, and Mohamed Rabie
May 28
FIFA: Suspend Israeli Apartheid. (FOSNA w/ Just Peace Advocates) Join musician and activist Roger Waters, Susan Shalabi of the Palestinian Football Association, FOSNA ED Jonathan Kuttab, and more, for what promises to be an illuminating webinar on a topic of global concern. Israel has violated the principles of FIFA in a variety of ways that would normally warrant disciplinary actions and even a suspension of its membership. However, the politics of FIFA have prevented it from taking action, even amending its by-laws to make it more difficult for the Palestine Football Association to demand such action. Consequently, it is now the responsibility of civil society to apply the popular pressure necessary to bring this about.
We Are Hiring!
FOSNA is seeking a talented, dynamic, and passionate Communications and Campus Outreach Coordinator to join our team of remote staff located across the United States.
Weekly
Sabeel Prayer Service. Join Sabeel every Thursday (6pm Jerusalem) for online Bible Study, discussion, and prayer. Examine scripture in light of the ongoing realities confronting the Palestinian Church and the pursuit of Palestinian liberation.
Wave of Prayer. Subscribe to receive Sabeel's Wave of Prayer, enabling friends of Sabeel around the world to pray over issues of critical concern to the Holy Land on a weekly basis.
Kumi Now! Week 20: The Ongoing Nakba. For Palestinians, May 15 was Nakba Day. That is the day following the Israeli Independence Day on the Gregorian calendar. The term Nakba refers to the 1948 catastrophe when over 1,000,000 Palestinians were forced from their homes or fled in fear for their lives. But this use of the term in the past tense suggests that the Nakba was over and done 70 years ago. This is not the case, as the events of 1948 were just part of a consistent and ongoing process that dates back to the Balfour Declaration and continues today. Here’s what you need to know about the ongoing Nakba and what you can do so that together we can rise up.
