Do Not Apologize: Being Pro-Palestinian is Not a Crime

By Paul Salvatori

This week Joel Harden, a Canadian member of Ontario’s provincial parliament, made this pointless apology:

“I wish to apologize unreservedly to the Jewish neighborhood for feedback I made throughout an interview with the Ottawa Discussion board on Israel Palestine. I spoke in a method that perpetrated an antisemitic stereotype in direction of Jewish neighbours. I remorse my selection of phrases and sincerely apologize to the Jewish neighborhood. You could have my dedication that it gained’t occur once more and I’ll proceed to work with Jewish leaders who can assist me perceive antisemitism.”

Particularly, the apology was made in reference to this assertion he made within the interview, in August 2021: 

“If I had been to call…the one biggest menace, the one biggest origin of violence within the Center East, it’s unquestionably the state of Israel and the best way wherein they really feel completely no disgrace in defying worldwide regulation, doing no matter they need.”

There’s nothing incorrect with this since, first, it’s no secret that Israel has completely no reservations about and is routinely breaking worldwide regulation (as confirmed by the United Nations, Amnesty Worldwide, different main human rights organizations the world over) and, second, whether or not Israel is the truth is “the one biggest origin of violence within the Center East” is at worst solely debatable.

Provided that Israel is consistently demolishing Palestinian properties, opening stay fireplace and killing Palestinian civilians, illegally raiding Palestinian houses, bodily and mentally (as via its navy) harassing Palestinians, detaining them with none cost in anyway, and holding them indefinitely behind bars (typically referred to extra properly as “administrative detention”)—simply to call just a few of its crimes and along with its periodic bombing of Gaza (a densely open-air jail the place Palestinians are wholly defenseless)—it’s hardly a farfetched a view that Israel is the “single biggest origin of violence within the Center East.” 

To go any additional at this level in itemizing Israeli crimes is just to repeat what’s already been public for lengthy. Motasem A Dalloul, in a current article revealed in Center East Monitor, succinctly notes what finally must be burdened:

“For 70 years Israel has been the topic of quite a few UN resolutions, statements of condemnation and rulings of the illegality of its insurance policies towards Palestinians and but no sanctions have been imposed towards it nor have Palestinians been given assist to fight its aggression.”

In actual fact, as within the forged of Harden, we see the other, particularly politicians and others apologizing for honestly talking to the illegality in query. Except for such apologies being pointless they mirror 4 problematic points, regarding Israeli ideologues.

First, Israeli ideologues, together with the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) that took exception to Harden’s assertion, don’t wish to be criticized about Israeli criminality. Ever. Of their view, if you happen to draw consideration to any of the varied modes wherein they’re engaged within the ethnic cleaning of Palestine, whether or not exterior the top (e.g. bombing of Gaza and Israeli settlement displacement) or inside the top (e.g. erasing Palestine from our reminiscence and issues), is already to have gone too far. And we all know the place that leads: being known as “antisemitic.” 

Said bluntly, if you happen to assume that taking problem with what Israel is doing to Palestine is “antisemitic”, there’s one thing critically amiss. Not with the particular person taking problem however together with your considering. It’s so ludicrous to affiliate, at a really fundamental stage, antisemitism with legit criticism of any state in any respect, not to mention Israel, that the burden of proof is on you—not me—to clarify the logic of that. Recalling, as I write, my time as a philosophy teacher, it could have admittedly made for an attention-grabbing task, the place college students can be challenged to show their argumentative skills.

However ought to you might have handed in, say, an essay the place the fixed chorus all through is that criticism of Israel quantities to “antisemitism”, regardless of the criticism centered completely on its actions alone, you’d after all obtain a failing grade. By the identical token—and if we’re honest about being “fashionable” (a phrase progressives and liberals love to use to themselves) such that we settle for that reality requires justifying what we are saying with materials details—equating criticism of Israel as antisemitic is empirically bankrupt. 

Second, Israeli ideologues lie in regards to the Palestinian battle for justice and historical past. And nobody amongst them corrects them for doing so. One instance that instantly involves thoughts is how they do that with respect to the phrase “from the river to the ocean, Palestine will probably be free.” So typically they, completely illustrated on this current op-ed, assault it as a name to pro-Palestinian terrorism. Had Harden or some other Canadian politician completed the identical the ideologues wouldn’t come after them. It’s as if the Israeli ideologue can not course of the fundamental concept that the phrase refers back to the rightful liberation of the Palestinian folks, protecting the geographic expanse of the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.

What they’d just like the world to falsely imagine is that it means annihilating Israelis. Little question this can be a sort of fear-mongering to not solely vilify Palestinians and their allies but additionally to drum up additional assist for the continuation of Israel’s ethnic cleaning of Palestine. Sociopaths act equally. They manipulate you to imagine in sure lies so that you, performing accordingly, advance some specific agenda. Even when doing so is to your individual or others’ detriment. 

Third and at last, Israeli ideologues are selective about what they imply by “antisemitism.” Preposterous criticism of Israel, for them, quantities to such hatred however slandering or demeaning Jews as “self-hating” for supporting the Palestinian battle for justice is just not. An egregious incident the place this occurred, involving Palestinian solidarity expressed by Hasidic Jews in Toronto this 12 months and detailed effectively by Montreal activist and author Yves Engler, is a living proof. CIJA, amongst different Israeli ideologues, certainly is aware of about this. They’re, with out fail, vigilant in documenting all antisemitic incidents that occur in Canada. They nevertheless don’t reply to these the place the targets of the incidents are pro-Palestinian. 

Ignoring antisemitism when it happens towards pro-Palestinian Jews whereas condemning all different types of antisemitism (perceived, similar to criticism towards Israel, or actual, similar to denying an individual entry someplace as a result of they’re Jewish), is greater than turning a blind eye. It’s outright deplorable. It signifies that the pro-Palestinian Jew is “much less” a Jew. Conversely, and following this perverse logic, being “Jewish” entails supporting the Israeli oppression of Palestine. Must you problem that you’re a “traitor” to different “actual” Jews who won’t come to your assist or security? 

These publicly endorsing such considering must be apologizing for offending being antisemitic. These, nevertheless, combating for Palestinian justice—Jews and non-Jews alike—don’t have anything to be sorry about. Bear in mind this, expensive Palestinian allies. As a lot as every of us is flawed, not good, and have issues about ourselves that we’ve to work on, you do no hurt if you oppose the unconscionable crimes that Israel—as a violent state and never the unique consultant of worldwide Jewry—perpetrate day by day towards the Palestinian folks. You’ll probably offend those that, missing conscience, need it in any other case. However that’s their failing. Not ours. 

Don’t let it deter you from partaking within the Palestinian battle. There’s a lot of good, nevertheless troublesome, work left to be completed. 

– Paul Salvatori is a Toronto-based journalist, neighborhood employee and artist. A lot of his work on Palestine includes public schooling, similar to via his lately created interview sequence, “Palestine in Perspective” (The Darkish Room Podcast), the place he speaks with writers, students and activists. He contributed this text to The Palestine Chronicle.