Arguably for the first time, a Palestinian perspective on Zionism is taking center stage in mainstream discourse

For decades, Joe Biden has proudly declared that he is a Zionist, and he has repeated that claim since Hamas’s 7 October attacks on Israel. But for the student anti-war protests gripping the US, the words “Zionist” and “Zionism” have become a watchword – pejorative and emblematic of the violent state policies driving the war on Gaza.

On social media and in the streets, critics no longer call out supporters of the state of Israel as “pro-Israel”: they call them Zionist. Some university encampments have posted signs saying: “Zionists not allowed.”

Student protesters say that their criticisms of Zionism are rooted in the state of Israel’s displacement and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. Pro-Israel activists have responded by defending the term. “If the last six months on campus have taught us anything, it is that a large and vocal population of the Columbia community does not understand the meaning of Zionism,” a group of more than 500 Columbia University students recently wrote. “We are proud to be Zionists.”

  • ShittyBeatlesFCPres@lemmy.worldEnglish
    77·
    7 months ago

    Zionism means different things to different generations. To younger people, it’s about expansionist Israel trying to take over the West Bank and Gaza. They take Israel being a regional power for granted. For older generations, it means Israel facing existential threats from other regional powers. But Israel hasn’t faced an existential threat for decades. As bad as Hamas and Hezbollah are, they’re fighting asymmetric warfare and not actually going to wipe Israel off the map.

    There are, obviously, a few people who want decolonization but that just isn’t happening. It’s like demanding every white and black and Hispanic person in America go back to their homeland. Half the people have grandparents from different countries.

    And on the other side, Israel has to dismantle settlements in the West Bank. Or, what they deserve, is to be minorities in a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders. No one will have that but me, though, so dismantling the settlements is the only realistic option.

    • Tryptaminev@lemm.eeEnglish
      71·
      7 months ago

      There are, obviously, a few people who want decolonization but that just isn’t happening.

      Which means by international law, that armed resistance to drive them from the land they stole is legal. There can be no peace without justice and justice means to give back all stolen land or make a fair agreement to buy it from the original owners.

      Also many of the Zionists came to Palestine within our lifetime. And we are talking about moving at best maybe 4 Million people as opposed to the 300 Million in the US. The best moment to end this terrorist land stealing was in 1948. The second best moment is now.

    • Linkerbaan@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      1310·
      7 months ago

      To brainwashed people it means creating an ethnostate because of some imaginary threat that requires severe mental gymnastics to make sense of because somehow Egypt and Jordan can exist but Palestinians and Lebanese cannot.

      To non brainwashed people israel is the Nazis committing Holocaust to expand their Lebensraum. Nothing more nothing less.

      For more information https://streamable.com/b7yvo0

        • Aceticon@lemmy.worldEnglish
          73·
          7 months ago

          Being deemed an antisemite and banned by a Mod in a Lemmy community isn’t the powerful argument you seem to think it is.

          Considering that people are being accused of being antisemite if they demonstrate against the murder of children (an accusation which, curiously, implies that murdering children is a Jewish thing to do, making that accusation itself being the true antisemitism), that ban probably says a lot more about said Mod than about the person banned.

            • Aceticon@lemmy.worldEnglish
              81·
              7 months ago

              I suggest you go read the rules about who can be a Mod in Lemmy: there are none.

              It’s prefectly possibly for a Lemmy Mod of a specific community to be a pro-Zionism extreme racist since the only qualification they need to be a Mod is having created that community or asked for and been given mod status from an existing Mod.

              Being a Mod requires no higher moral anything and a Mod’s opinion is morally no better or worse than anybody else’s.

              That Appeal to Authority Falacy of your is even ridiculous in your choice of Authority.

                • Aceticon@lemmy.worldEnglish
                  51·
                  7 months ago

                  Someboyd who uses Appeal To Authority falacies as “arguments” and keeps on trying to justify it, passing judgment on other people’s cognizance… Oh, the irony!