Image Via (http://www.ifamericansknew.org/history/)
A state that’s being slowly expunged from our history books and memories. The word “Palestine” dwindles from conversation for it does not feel familiar on the tip of our tongue anymore, because it is a culture that’s being erased.
In the 1800s, a group called “Zionists” which originated in Europe sought to colonize a Jewish homeland and had many settlements throughout Europe and Africa before settling in on Palestine. A very small group of the Jewish faith followed this. Unfortunately, when the settlements did settle in Palestine, the Palestinian land has been on a course of being wiped out since 1947 when the UN decided to interfere in the affairs by enacting the UN Partition Plan. A plan that consisted of giving away 55% of the land to a Jewish state despite the fact that they only inhabited 7% of the land already. From there, thus began the 1947-1949 War which was triggered when Zionist forces had executed 16 massacres where the future Israeli Prime Minister Menachem stated, “Everywhere, we will attack and smite the enemy. God, God, Thou has chosen us for conquest.”
Thirty-three massacres were later committed by Zionist forces in the end. Towns were abolished by smoldering flames and the culture of the Palestinians were later adopted by what is now Israeli culture. Maps were all erased and redrawn as a new state. Palestine had begun to slowly disappear from history books and tongue. Over the years since, the new state of Israel began to disavow the mere existence of Palestine.
Over time in our modern news outlets we overhear the news of the Israel vs. Palestine conflict, a topic that is actually so crucial that even the current Democratic Presidential Candidate, Hillary Clinton, addressed a speech at the AIPAC. If we divulge further into the topic, we reach one of the roots of cause in the conflict which is Zionism. The issue with critiquing Zionism is the assumption that it is anti-Semitism; an already fragile concept to toy with. Obviously, when fingers are pointed that something someone might have said could be taken in an anti-Semitic way, the discussion is shut down to cease offending.
Does that now make the critique of the Zionist group anti-semitic? Of course not. Not condoning the actions of Israel and recognizing the flaws in the state does not make a person anti-Semitic. Hating the state of Israel because it is a Jewish state does. The term Zionist is technically counted as a political statement and as they all do, will receive criticism for it. Anyone can be anti anything really without having it abhorred towards the group that may occupy the term.
To be against some of the poisonous acts carried out by the group is solely a morality choice made up by your own reflection of thinking on whether you seek it out to be tolerant or not.
Usually, anti-Semites that attempt to hide behind the term anti-Zionists would peek out very easily to have racist undertones hiding behind their comments. The mentality of racism is a parasite that exists within all nations in different ways and all people. It’s an illness that all humans carry and is our duty to recognize it and fight against it instead of deferring to it. Anti- Semitism is still an illness to be fought against as for Anti-Zionism is the opinion a critic is allowed to have based on their own moral thinking.
