There is regularly a complaint that any form of Israel criticism is directly equated with anti-Semitism. On the other hand, there are also anti-semites who are more than happy to throw a layer of anti-Zionism over their ideas in order to stay socially and legally in a safe corner. Where exactly does the overlap between these two terms lie?
What is Zionism and what is Anti-Zionism?
Zionism is a political movement that emerged in the 19th century and aimed at establishing a Jewish homeland in the area that was christened “Palestine” by the Roman emperor Hadrian in 135 AD, when the Jews were expelled from Judea after the Bar Kokhba rebellion. That dream came true when the State of Israel was proclaimed in part of this region in 1948.
Anti-Zionists are people who oppose Zionism. This can take various forms. Some anti-Zionists oppose Israel's right to exist in its current form, while others believe there should be no Jewish political self-determination at all. There is also a group of non-violent anti-Zionists, but another part believes that violence is an acceptable way to bring the State of Israel to an end.
Jewish anti-Zionists, what about that?
Opponents of the State of Israel regularly argue that “real Jews” are also against Israel. They often come up with the example of the Neturei Karta, an Orthodox Jewish movement known for its fierce anti-Zionist stance. But it's worth looking a little further than you know: the Neturei Karta is not necessarily against a Jewish state, but only believes that it should only be founded as soon as the Messiah returns to Earth. For them, that is why they reject the current state of Israel: because it was founded by people and not by the Messiah. They regard this as an unacceptable violation of the Torah laws.
New, Zionist, Israeli — or all three?
More and more we see that the distinction between the words “Zionist”, “Jew” and “Israeli” is blurring. People regularly lump all this together and so the discussion can quickly cloud. Not every Jew is Israeli and not every Israeli is Jewish. Most Jews are Zionists, but the majority of them are also in favor of a two-state solution. They therefore believe that, in addition to an independent Jewish state, an independent Palestinian state should also exist.
When does anti-Zionism become anti-Semitism?
Criticism of Israel or its government policy is not necessarily also anti-Semitic. No country in the world should be exempt from criticism. Things change, however, when there are clearly double standards by requiring Israel to behave that is not required of other democratic countries or by making comparisons between Israel and Nazi Germany.
What we also often see is that old classical anti-Semitic symbols and images also reappear in anti-Zionism: depicting Zionists as rats or other pests or the accusation that Zionists are trying to rule the world. A more recent example of old anti-Semitism in a new look was seen during the coronavirus crisis, when “Zionists” were accused of creating the virus and/or vaccines to wipe out the non-Jewish world population: similar to how Jews were blamed for the plague in the Middle Ages.
Holding Jews collectively responsible for the politics or actions of the State of Israel is also anti-Semitic. But: when criticism of Israel is comparable to criticism of another country, there is no anti-Semitism.