This week, a major battle is raging behind the scenes at the New Democratic Party (NDP) around Palestinian rights. As a Jew, I am mighty pissed off at Israel’s defenders trying to hijack my Jewish identity and bully progressives into abandoning our Palestinian sisters and brothers.
The Israel lobby’s latest weapon of choice is the IHRA re-definition of antisemitism, which is weak on antisemitism, but built to defame Palestinian solidarity supporters as anti-Semitic. In the latest case, 50 NDP riding associations are backing a resolution to reject the IHRA at this week’s NDP Convention. Jagmeet Singh and the NDP establishment – at the behest of the Israel lobby – are trying to sabotage the anti-IHRA resolution.
First, let’s outline the minimal position I believe progressives should take on this issue:
- Support Palestinian rights
- Criticize Israel’s occupation of Palestine
- Fight antisemitism and all forms of racism
- Reject attempts to defame supporters of the Palestinian cause as anti-Semitic.
Israeli law stipulates that Palestinians who are Israeli citizens or living under occupation have fewer rights than Israeli Jews. This is because the Zionist goal of “Jewish self-determination” on Palestinian land is incompatible with equality between Jews and Palestinians. This is indefensible. Clearly playing the “antisemitism” card against progressives is the Israel lobby’s weapon of choice.
Until recently, we were focusing on derailing the Israel lobby’s efforts to pass the IHRA definition. But the momentum is changing and the Israel lobby in Canada – CIJA and the B’nai Brith – are being forced to play wack-a-mole to stop anti-IHRA positions from being adopted by progressive organizations. This demonstrates our growing collective power.
Insulting or defaming people must be done judiciously.
The Israel lobby is reluctant to pick on me or my organization, Independent Jewish Voices (IJV). But they do not hesitate to pick on Muslims, Arabs, and leaders of progressive organizations that support the Palestinian cause.
You should understand the dynamics.
The Israel lobby doesn’t pick on me or IJV because we fight back and we’re Jewish. They don’t pick on us because they don’t want to publicize the fact that increasing numbers of Jews reject the values of the right-wing Jewish establishment and are appalled by daily events in Israel.
The Israel lobby no longer picks on Sid Ryan and the Ontario Federation of Labour, because the Federation fought back and defended Sid when he was attacked for supporting Palestinian rights. But the Israel lobby is well organized and connected in high places. They are adept at damaging progressive organizations and parties by creating divisions when they are afforded the opportunity.
It works like this:
The Israel lobby and their sycophants in the media defame a political leader who expresses support for Palestine as an “anti-Semite”. Think Jeremy Corbyn of the British Labour Party, who has been prominent in the defense of Palestinian rights. Or NDP MP Charlie Angus, who criticized Israel for practicing medical apartheid because of their refusal to release Covid-19 vaccines to the Palestinians living under Israeli military occupation. Or the NDP base, which a Postmedia columnist’s headline described as “inmates taking over the NDP” because we are considering resolutions supporting Palestine.
When they can, the Israel lobby gets their own people, both Jews and non-Jews, within progressive organizations, and assembles Jews outside the organization to defame those they are targeting. If the bullying effort is successful, the organization won’t defend its own members who are targeted.
In the case of the NDP, this strategy appears to have been successful. The NDP establishment has caved, doing everything in its power to sink the anti-IHRA resolution slated to go before the party’s convention this weekend. But we’re fighting back. Stay tuned.
The experience of both IJV and The Ontario Federation of Labour provides a simple lesson for the NDP and other progressive organizations on how to resist the Israel lobby’s bullying: UNITE & FIGHT BACK!
Forthrightly resist attacks on members and the organization coming from the bully.
Vigorously defend those who are attacked.
Ask for support.
Support Palestinian solidarity within your progressive base.
Denounce the bully by name.
Make sure your statements are bullet-proof – i.e. don’t take shortcuts. Be consistent in your opposition to all forms of oppression. Fight antisemitism as well as other all forms of racism and fight Israel’s oppression of Palestinians.
Hopefully this convention will force a reckoning about the NDP establishment’s betrayal of its base on the subject of Palestine as well as on other issues of importance to progressives: They don’t back BDS; they have barred NDP candidates who have supported Palestinian rights; they support the anti-Palestinian IHRA re-definition of antisemitism being promoted by the Israel lobby, and they left hanging in the wind – MPs like Niki Ashton or Charlie Angus who were attacked for criticizing Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians.
We must continue this fight until it has been won. We must end the NDP establishment’s toxic relationship with the Israel lobby, and force it to demonstrate a commitment to a progressive future that rejects defaming folks who support Palestinian rights and other worthy causes.
For more on the fights against the IHRA see: www.noihra.ca
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From Canada:
NDP No IHRA Resolution Statements of Support — No IHRA
“Statements of Support for the NO IHRA Resolution”
“From the list of modern day atrocities, many Zionist supporters judiciously and habitually omit Israel’s oppression of the Palestinians, the ongoing dispossession, human rights denials and daily cruelties imposed by the occupation, to speak nothing of periodic war crimes. The IHRA statement on antisemitism is a barely disguised attempt at suppressing and isolating critics of Israeli policy. It’s illegal in this country to deny the Holocaust, yet some people want to enshrine enforced denial of Palestinian suffering into law.
“As an infant survivor or the Nazi genocide and a former Zionist activist, I see this as a shameless endeavour to equate anti-semitism with speaking the truth about Palestine. You are entitled to endorse whatever political cause you believe in. You are not entitled to silence others, especially not on such a mutually painful and contentious issue as Israel/Palestine. All sides deserve to be and need to be fully heard.” — Gabor Maté, physician & best-selling author
“The IHRA redefinition represents a politicization of antisemitism by upholding Israel self-determination to the exclusion of Palestinian rights. As a Holocaust survivor and member of the NDP and of Independent Jewish Voices, I support the resolution of Libby Davies, Svend Robinson, and 50 NDP riding associations.” — Suzanne Berliner Weiss, Holocaust survivor & author.
“This resolution condemns antisemitism, Islamophobia, white supremacy and all forms of intolerance and hatred, but makes it clear the the NDP should not accept the IHRA definition of antisemitism. The upcoming federal NDP Convention is an opportunity to affirm our values of justice, human rights and dignity. We can do this by supporting the resolution to oppose the IHRA definition, and fighting antisemitism while standing in solidarity with the Palestinian people. The convention is an opportunity for the NDP and its members to demonstrate that freedom of speech is core to our history and future.” — Libby Davies, former Member of Parliament, 1997-2015.(cont’d)
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“I express my full support to Svend Robinson, Libby Davis and Sid Ryan for opposing the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of anti-Semitism, which is being weaponized to silence Palestinians and their supporters who speak out against Israel’s violations of the rights of the indigenous Palestinian people and its contravention of international law.
“The misleading IHRA working definition of antisemitism conflates criticism of Israel’s apartheid regime and its systemic discrimination against the indigenous Palestinian people with anti-Jewish bigotry. The IHRA definition is poorly worded and most of the examples attached to this definition conflate antisemitism with criticism of the State of Israel.
“Such conflation is a serious mistake since it implies that all Jews are responsible for the crimes against humanity being committed by the apartheid Israeli regime.”-Khaled Mouammar, founding member of the Canadian Arab Federation.
“New Democrats have a historic opportunity at our upcoming Convention for the first time to take a strong, principled stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people, while reaffirming our deep commitment to fighting antisemitism. We can join our voices, including NDP MPs like House Leader Peter Julian and Deputy Leader Alexandre Boulerice, from ridings across the country, with labour leaders, academics, and respected leaders from the Jewish and Palestinian-Canadian communities for human rights, freedom of speech and international law. The right has already weaponized the IHRA to try to silence NDP MPs speaking out for Palestinian access to COVID-19 vaccines, and to shut down support for the ICC investigation. It will be used to try to silence those of us who call for banning settlement products and ending military cooperation with Israel.”..Svend Robinson, former Member of Parliament…
“As Canadian-Palestinians who cherish and espouse our rights and freedom of expression as per the Canadian charter of human right, we find ourselves silenced by the IHRA definition. It is so important that the upcoming NDP Convention support this resolution.”..Zahia El-Masri, VP Canadian Palestinian Foundation of Quebec
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Look up any definition of “semite” you want (for example https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Semite ); the Palestinians are semites. Demolishing the houses of semites ( https://icahd.org/ ) has got to be anti-semitic.
I wonder if Moses would have been labelled “antisemitic” too…Rather sad to see israel hide behind the “antisemitism” card every time it wants to avoid some unpleasant conversation.
As I’ve said many times before, once you stand up to bullies, they show themselves to be the true cowards they really are, and they no longer pose a threat to you.
So, by all means, stand up to the ‘bully’ Zionists whenever and wherever you can. And, if they call you an anti-Semite, respond by telling them that they are embracing an anti-Arab racist ideology, Zionism, and that they should be ashamed of themselves. The typical response when I’ve done this is shock followed by angry defensiveness. In the end, the Zionist bully just fades away. It works every time.