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.”

    • 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!