By Israeli government standards, any criticism of its policies is anti-Semitism – People’s World

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Copies of Amnesty International’s report, ‘Apartheid Israel against the Palestinians’, at a news conference in Jerusalem, February 1, 2022. The rights group said Israel has maintained ‘a system of oppression and domination” over the Palestinians from its inception in 1948, which meets the international definition of apartheid. Israel called the report “anti-Semitic”. | Maya Alleruzzo/AP

Recently, billionaire Twitter and Tesla owner Elon Musk tweeted an attack on fellow billionaire George Soros, comparing him to fictional Holocaust survivor and Marvel Comics supervillain Magneto. While the tweet drew near-universal condemnation, many were surprised to see the Israeli government, the government of the so-called Jewish State and self-proclaimed representative of world Jewry, come to the defense of anti-Semitic Musk.

However, anyone surprised by the actions of the Israeli government obviously paid no attention. Musk’s defense is just the latest step in Zionist regimes’ attempt to redefine anti-Semitism as anti-Zionism. The move also helps the foreign policy of the Israeli government, which has increasingly aligned itself with far-right, indeed anti-Semitic, governments and movements around the world.

For decades, the Israeli government has used the charge of anti-Semitism as a way to shield itself from criticism. Anyone who dares to question the continued military occupation of millions of Palestinians, the imprisonment without trial of political dissidents, the destruction of civilian homes, or any of the many other crimes the Israeli government regularly commits is quickly labeled an anti-Semite. .

Palestinians use a ladder to climb Israel’s apartheid wall on their way to pray at al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in Al-Ram, north of Jerusalem, July 11, 2014. | Majdi Mohammed / AP

The tactic is an attempt to delegitimize critics and defend the Israeli state from scrutiny.

One would be forgiven for believing that the Israeli government is genuinely concerned about anti-Semitism, given how often its leaders talk about it. But this is not the case, as the Israeli government increasingly befriends and defends far-right anti-Semitic politicians, as long as they are willing to support the continued occupation of the Palestinian people. .

An example of this is the Israeli government’s close relationship with the Trump administration and various other far-right Republican politicians. Trump has repeatedly repeated the anti-Semitic trope of Jewish dual loyalties during his campaign and during his tenure. On several occasions, when addressing large Jewish crowds, Trump told American Jews that the Israeli government was their real government and that they owed their loyalty to the Republican Party because of its good friendship with the Israeli government. .

Another example is the Israeli government’s close ties to the extreme nationalist government of Viktor Orban in Hungary. Orban often pushes politicians to block immigration to the country, as part of his efforts to keep Hungary Hungarian.

Orban used the anti-Semitic trope of wealthy Jews controlling the world, saying they sought to flood Hungary with foreign Muslims. While Soros was the main target of Orbans’ attacks (as he was for Musk), the Hungarian government used typical anti-Semitic imagery in its disinformation campaign.

Following this trend, in order to deepen its relations with the ultra-conservative and nationalist Polish government, Netanyahu’s current government capitulated under pressure from Warsaw to follow the revisionist history pushed by the Polish government, denying any Polish collaboration in the Holocaust crimes.

Netanyahu agreed that Israeli students visiting Poland will learn the Polish narrative, despite the vast amount of historical evidence that contradicts it. The Israeli government was once proud to hunt down Nazis, like Adolf Eichmann, but today it accepts the revisionist history of the Holocaust in order to relate to other far-right governments around the world.

Unsurprisingly, the Israeli government has also aligned itself with far-right elements in the war in Ukraine. He even went so far as to welcome members of the neo-Nazi Azov Battalion to Israel. The Azov Battalion has a proven track record of attacking Russians, Roma and other minority groups living in Ukraine, including Jews. At one point, the chief rabbi of Kiev declared that it was too dangerous for Jews to walk around with yarmulkes (a traditional Jewish skullcap) in the capital due to the strong influence of fascist elements linked to the Azov Battalion and the party Svoboda.

As long as they support the occupation of Palestine, even true anti-Semites, such as leftist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, are considered friends of Israel. | Ariel Schalit/AP

At the same time, the Israeli government is not at all afraid to accuse anyone who criticizes it of being anti-Semitic. Israeli newspapers are full of articles declaring opponents of the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian people anti-Semitic. In fact, the Israeli government said the UN report presented facts about Israel’s violation of international law as anti-Semitic.

One of the favorite tools of fascists and the extreme right is to change the meaning of words to serve their purposes. In the United States, the Trump administration has pushed alternative facts and protesters have been accused of being paid traitors. The Israeli government follows the same model.

It seeks to be the arbiter of who is and who is not anti-Semitic, and the government’s definition is easy enough to understand. Anyone who agrees with state policy, even Nazis, Fascists, or Christian ultra-nationalists, cannot be a Jew-hater. Anyone who criticizes Israeli policies, whether progressive politicians, human rights activists or experts in international law, is anti-Semitic.

As with all opinion pieces published by Peoples World, this article reflects the views of its author.

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