For a number of years, I’ve accepted the mainstream view that any views that speak against Israel in any way is anti-Semitic. I’m the farthest thing from that. I believe that Jewish folks should have a homeland. I believe the Holocaust occurred. I’m not OK with the dog whistles people on the far right employ by talking about “globalists” who control banking..
Israel’s actions after the October 7 attacks are a genocide. I don’t agree that retaliation was unwarranted. But, the far right Netanyahu government took it as an opportunity to put their worst plans in motion. They’re much more powerful than the Palestinians. They’ve got the full might of the US behind them; the Palestinians might as well be fighting with spears.
I was listening to a podcast called the Bitchuation Room. There was a guest on who was able to very clearly articulate that they believe in Israel’s right to exist, but also can’t support their actions. That got me looking more into anti-Zionism. For years, I’d seen anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism as the same thing. But, there are Jewish groups out there who also don’t support Israel’s actions. Reading some of the stuff written by them showed me that it’s OK to not support Israeli actions, but still be in solidarity with Jewish folks.
I didn’t arrive at these views by accident. Groups like the Anti-Defamation League get a ton of press anytime Israeli aggression is in the news. They instantly go on the offensive against anyone who dares question anything the Israeli government does. This apparatus is a well-oiled machine. I can’t feel bad for not looking into before. I want to be a good person and the ADL tells me that I’m a good person if I never speak against Israel.
The election was going to be really tough for me. I can’t view for Trump because he’s a maniac and a psychopath. But Biden’s full throttle support of Netanyahu also didn’t sit well with me. I was going to write someone in as President. But Kamala Harris has shown more willingness to see Israel objectively and not blindly follow precedent. She’s not perfect, but she’s a hell of a lot better than Biden. I now hate Obama’s incrementalism and how he excused his ineffectiveness by saying change comes slowly. But in this case, we have a situation where we need to tread very carefully. Getting to a point where we can look at Israel like other countries will require patience. We can’t let the Jewish people face another genocide. But we also can’t be OK with Israel perpetrating one on the Palestinians. I can vote for Kamala without as much hesitation as Biden or Trump.
I don’t know what the answer is, but I know it’s not what’s currently happening.