Zionists Are Often More Antisemitic Than Anti-Zionists

By Peter Beinart

Probably. The evidence suggests not only that anti-Zionism doesn’t equal antisemitism but that while some anti-Zionists are indeed antisemites, Jew-hatred in the United States and Europe is more prevalent among supporters of the Jewish state. I’ll explain why below.

French President Emmanuel Macron, Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt all believe that anti-Zionism—opposing a state that privileges Jews over Palestinians—constitutes antisemitism. That’s wrong. The Satmar Rebbe is a passionate anti-Zionist; he’s not an antisemite. Twenty percent of American Jews think Israel should be a democratic, non-Jewish, state; they’re not all antisemites either. And the vast majority of Palestinians are anti-Zionists; why shouldn’t they be? For Palestinians, political Zionism has meant expulsion and subjugation. A Jewish state offers the Palestinians under its control either second class citizenship or no citizenship. Opposing that doesn’t make Palestinians antisemites; it makes them human.