Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has called Florida the most Israel-friendly state in the country and he demonstrated the friendship lately by going to the US embassy in Jerusalem to ceremonially sign a new law that prohibits expressions of anti-Semitism in Florida schools. (On that trip DeSantis also endorsed Benjamin Netanyahu for reelection, said Netanyahu could run in the U.S. if things didn’t work out over there, and held a meeting with Cabinet officials in Israel, triggering constitutional concerns).
The new law requires educational institutions to treat anti-Semitism as they would “discrimination motivated by race,” and it passed the Florida House by 114-0 and the Florida Senate by 40-0 in April, despite civil rights concerns. As the Sun Sentinel’s editorial said: “A student accused of anti-Semitism could be disciplined or expelled. A teacher or professor could be fired, entirely on the basis of constitutionally dubious language.”
The new law cites these supposed examples of anti-Semitism:
Applying a double standard to Israel by requiring behavior of Israel that is not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation, or focusing peace or human rights investigations only on Israel.
Delegitimizing Israel by denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination and denying Israel the right to exist.
However, criticism of Israel that is similar to criticism toward any other country may not be regarded as anti-Semitic.
Disgraceful. Florida’s dolt of a governor, in his official capacity, went to occupied Palestine and endorsed a candidate for reëlection.
Imagine the brouhaha if, say, Putin travelled to Miami and endorsed tRump for reëlection.
The political bias in that statute stands out as if written with neon lights. Anyone can see that the statute is a desperate attempt to squelch fair comment and insulate the Zionist entity from well-deserved criticism.
→ Applying a double standard to Israel by requiring behavior of Israel that is not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation, or focusing peace or human rights investigations only on Israel.
First of all, «Israel» is neither democratic nor a nation; it’s an apartheid-based settler-colonial polity.
Second, the language of the phrase quoted above reveals that something is amiss with «Israel», because otherwise there would be no need to legislate the scope of «peace or human rights investigations» and the like with respect to the Zionist entity.
→ Delegitimizing Israel by denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination and denying Israel the right to exist.
One may freely delegitimate Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, or Ægypt, but not the criminal settler-colonial entity occupying Palestine. Cherchez l’erreur!
Whatever «the Jewish people» may be, it does not enjoy a «right to self-determination», because it is diffuse. Self-determination is for «peoples» (the term is used but not defined in international law) concentrated in a territory. A hundred years ago, Yiddish-speaking Jews in northeastern Europe had a claim to self-determination, including a demand for part of the territory that they inhabited; many of them asserted that claim and tried to exercise it. But Jews in general do not have the right to self-determination and therefore cannot use any such right to found a territorial claim.
Note that no mention is made of the Palestinians’ right to self-determination, which they have asserted and defended vigorously ever since the criminal Zionist project took root under the imperialist auspices of Britain. The Palestinians actually are concentrated in one territory and do have a sound claim to self-determination, including the right to administer the territory of Palestine (all of it).
States do not have a «right to exist». They exist or they do not. They come and they go. They exist only as long as they can be maintained—in other words, as long as they effectively monopolise the use of force in their territory. Eventually every state falls.
→ However, criticism of Israel that is similar to criticism toward any other country may not be regarded as anti-Semitic.
We’re told that our criticism «may not be regarded as anti-Semitic» if we play according to certain prescribed rules. But why should we have to?
With rare and unwelcome exceptions, the criticism coming from the anti-Zionist movement is fair and appropriate. Much of it, indeed, is too mild. We anti-Zionists don’t need to be policed, thank you very much.
It is hard to find parallels between «Israel» and «any other country», precisely because the former continually perpetrates depravity so far beyond what is accepted anywhere else in the world. The closest analogy is to Azania under apartheid. (Not coïncidentally, the Zionist entity was the closest ally of the apartheid-based régime occupying Azania.)
What some people will do to get those Jewish votes, and Israel’s support. Shame.
It’s funny how Zionists say that Israel shouldn’t be “singled out” for special treatment even as they “single out” Israel for special treatment.
It’s funny how some (most?) American politicians seem to care more about Israel and Israelis than they do about America and Americans.
“It’s funny how Zionists say that Israel shouldn’t be “singled out” for special treatment even as they “single out” Israel for special treatment.”
A little gem from the Times of Israel which neatly highlights the “special treatment ” which Zioland receives from the US:
“Speaking of his own achievements and the historical connection between Israel and America, Oren remarked, “Israel is a country in which 40 years ago, a young American could arrive in the middle of a rainy night with nothing more than a backpack, serve in the IDF, raise a family, always struggling, and yet that former American could someday be sworn in as an elected member of Knesset, help represent Israel to the world. A man who would one day interact with not one, but three American presidents. And I cannot tell you how many times I was in the White House with meetings and the only non-Jew in the room would be the president of the United States. All the rest of us, Israelis and Americans, were Jewish. What a testament to the power of Jewish history.”
https://www.timesofisrael.com/jewish-insiders-daily-kickoff-june-13-2019/
Foir “history” read “control”.