re: #89 000G

I think if you are against Israel as a safe haven for Jews (which is always what it was intended to be), you are pretty much politically, functionally indistinguishable from an antisemite.

First of all, people who are anti-Zionist are such for a variety of reasons, which may include antisemitism, or which may stem from various ideological roots having nothing to do with antisemitism. This “equation” of them with antisemites is just a political demagoguery.

Second, you seem to equate Zionism and “intention for Israel to be a safe heaven for Jews”, and thus anti-Zionism with being anti-that noble intention. Your mistake: you seem to think that self-professed anti-Zionists define anti-Zionism in the very same way that you do. Which they don’t. They certainly don’t necessarily think of themselves as wishing to deprive anyone of a safe haven or put them in harm’s risk.

For example, there are lots of people arguing for the one-state solution. I think we can agree that they’re both anti-Zionist and foolish (one-state solution doesn’t mesh with reality). But no matter their foolishness on this issue, to call them antisemites because we know that one-state solution will “functionally” put Jewish Israelis’ in harms’ way is still shameful because that wish doesn’t (necessarily) stem from an antisemitic intent, but rather (mostly) from feel-good hippie/internationalist stuff.