The confluence of fascism and Zionism is becoming more obvious by the day, with alt-right leader Richard Spencer describing himself as a “white Zionist,” while the Zionist Organization of American invites Steve Bannon as a speaker at its annual gala.  And as the two forms of racial supremacy merge seamlessly together, the Palestinian struggle for human rights and dignity can set the model for discursive changes, the rejection of racism as status-quo, no matter how powerfully endorsed by the state and its militarized apparatus, and an understanding that together we are greater than the sum of our parts.

The Campus Anti-Fascist Network is a new grassroots, multiracial collective of faculty, students and staff committed to fighting the presence of fascists, white supremacists and nationalists on University campuses. One of the network founders, American Studies Professor Bill Mullen of Purdue University, says the network has exploded since the confrontation in Charlottesville, “We have nearly 200 members nationally and internationally.  Nearly 1,000 people joined our [closed] Facebook page within 48 hours when it went live.”

“Although the Israeli ‘anti-terrorism day camps’ for civilians are not new, an article in Haaretz last week about their growing popularity amongst tourists from around the globe has created significant buzz and, in some cases, righteous outrage, writes Nada Elia, “The lure of these camps, however, is not so much about killing a Palestinian, as it is about ‘killing like an Israeli.’ The focus at all times is on how Israelis do it. Caliber 3 Israeli Counter Terror and Security Academy, which first opened in 2003 in the illegal Gush Etzion settlement, is fully staffed by IDF combat veterans, including members of ‘elite units.’ They are the experts, and they remind the campers of it at every opportunity they get.”

Nada Elia writes about the Chicago Dyke March, “In the aftermath of the ‘controversy,’ Jewish-identified organizations who participated in the march, such as Jewish Voice for Peace and Not In Our Name, also asserted they did not experience any hostility, and have issued statements in support of the march, and of the Dyke March Collective’s decision to expel the three provocateurs. JVP went further, by posting a video denouncing A Wider Bridge’s longstanding role in pinkwashing, the Israeli government-sponsored propaganda campaign to distract from Israel’s violations of Palestinian human rights by focusing instead on Israel’s alleged gay-friendly policies. As Palestinian activist in the LGBTQ community Izzadine Mustafa stated in a Facebook post, ‘Their racist ideology does nothing but justify the oppression of my people. They claim to be a wider bridge, but in fact create a wider wall which divides and tricks Queer folks into supporting a racist criminal entity.’”

How is it possible for Hadassah to mount a panel on Feminism and Zionism, with absolutely no Palestinian perspective, when Palestinians are always pressured to include a Zionist perspective–for “balance”– when they organize panels at US institutions? Nada Elia mulls the damage from a June 9 event in New York.

On Thursday, June 8, Hadassah hosted a discussion panel called “Feminism and Zionism: Exploring Recent Tensions,” which, in typical Zionist fashion, did not feature an anti-Zionist (Jew or non-Jew), and certainly no Palestinian speaker. Nada Elia says one takeaway of the event is that “even as the situation on the ground in Palestine remains dire Palestine rights activists can celebrate one significant accomplishment: the discursive change that has slowly but surely eroded the credibility of the Zionist narrative over the past few years.”

The commemoration of the Six-Day War that resulted in the fifty-year occupation is a solemn moment to reflect on the magnitude of the dispossession of the Palestinian people, the multitude of daily indignities of life under occupation, and the relentless violence of Israel’s military against a defenseless imprisoned people. But to some liberal Zionists, like Israeli historian Gershom Gorenberg, the focus only seems to be about how “the occupation” hurts Israel.

Nada Elia writes, “Throughout history, change for the better has not come from those in official power, but from the grassroots, the oppressed, those at the receiving end of injustice, those whose starving, ailing bodies are on the line. As people around the world show their support for the imprisoned Palestinians, we are sending one clear message: no power can break us.”

Nada Elia writes on Nakba Day, 2017: “I’m angry because I want to be normal, yet normalcy evades me, and I want to be post-nationalist, even if Palestine has never been allowed to become a nation. And I’m angry at the fact that, despite the century of abuse, we are one people (yes, a people) never allowed to be angry. This year, I don’t want to be grateful for being a survivor, “nice.” I want the right to be angry.”

Former President Barak Obama, who is getting paid $400,000 for a speech on health care to a Wall Street firm, is the latest politician who has completely departed from a stated commitment to progressive causes to champion neo-liberal and hawkish policies. Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, who will receive an Israel advocacy award from StandWithUs on May 7th, is another such example.