House Republicans put a resolution condemning antisemitism up for a vote on Tuesday. At first blush, that seemed like a laudable gesture. Antisemitism is on the rise around the world, and any spread of bigotry should and must be fought. But the resolution also contained controversial language declaring that “anti-Zionism is antisemitism.” That wording conflates criticism of Israel with bigotry against Jews, and the intention of such language is to discourage critical debate over Israel in Washington.
The measure passed 311 to 14, with scores of Democrats joining Republicans. But more Democrats saw through the GOP’s tactics than that lopsided result might suggest — 92 voted present. That was a small but promising sign that Democrats are aware that Republicans are cynically trying to weaponize the issue of antisemitism, using it as a way to shield Israel from criticism as it wages an increasingly polarizing war in the Gaza Strip.
It’s audacious for a party that’s taken an aggressive white nationalist turn to try to pull off this tactic.
Anti-Zionism can mean different things to different people, and sometimes serves as a vehicle for antisemitism. Some people have criticized Zionism or Zionists in a veiled attempt to advance antisemitic conspiracy theories, or to argue that Israel should be ethnically cleansed of Jews. That kind of anti-Zionism is racist and deplorable.
But it isn’t inherently so — the Jewish Voice for Peace, a left-wing, anti-Zionist Jewish social movement, sums up anti-Zionism as criticism of Israeli state policies or its ethno-state ideology. There are many antiracist ways to criticize Zionism, and there’s a long, rich history of such that comes from myriad religious and political quarters of the Jewish community itself. Some Jewish groups object to Zionism on theological grounds — seeing it as blasphemous because they believe only the messiah can bring about the true Israel. There are also liberal and left-wing Jewish criticisms…
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