Waging Nonviolence: Why the Fight over defining Antisemitism is Key to the Future of BDS

Waging Nonviolence discusses Why the Fight over defining Antisemitism is Key to the Future of BDS

As Israel continues military actions directed at Gaza — and the 2022 elections reveal far-right “Kahanist” candidates like Itamar Ben-Gvir building a far-right coalition in the Knesset — these questions are becoming even more salient. If the [International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA)] is an effective weapon to marginalize [Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS)] activism, to make criticism of Israel so untenable that it is nearly illegal in some contexts, then activists are going to have to address that foundational tool to make any other gains. The recent [Independent Jewish Voices (IJV)] report reveals exactly what IHRA’s defenders say is untrue — that IHRA is being used specifically to marginalize non-antisemitic criticism of Israel.

On Nov. 10, the Anti-Defamation League held it’s annual “Never Again is Now” summit, where they discussed the status of racist threats, including antisemitism. Speakers urged the mass adoption of the IHRA as a useful tool to fight antisemitism, something that mainstream Jewish and civic organizations have largely agreed with. This creates an uphill fight for groups like IJV who acknowledge the IHRA as a fundamental obstacle to maintaining an effective strategy to pressure for change in Israel-Palestine. This is part of what has created a rift between Jewish pro-Palestinian activists and the mainstream Jewish community. But these activists are committed to winning this fight because they see it as necessary to unlock further gains in the movement for Palestinian liberation.

Emphasis Mine

So, in effect, an on-going genocide against Palestinians is being masked by another genocide (the Holocaust). Unfortunately, the State of Israel (and its supporters) is emulating Nazi Germany by justifying the genocide by protecting its people from an internal enemy who are not human. And it is the same reason that the Ottoman Empire did a genocide against the Armenians.

When you deny the humanity of others, you open yourself to exploitation by those who are intent on mass-murder and extinguishment of a people from the pages of history.

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