Attached and below is my letter to the Hudson Valley One in response to accusations of anti-Semitism against NewPaltz Women in Black. We demonstrate regularly in defense of Palestinian rights. It was printed in the July 21, 2021, issue.
Naomi Allen
We Will Stop Criticizing Israel When Israel Stops Oppressing Palestinians
Why do we “single out” Israel for its abuses of Palestinian human rights? Shouldn’t we look at China’s abuses, or Myanmar’s, or the way Saudi Arabia treats women? All of those things are terrible, but as Americans, our focus is on demanding changes from our government. Only Israel gets $4 billion a year (plus special supplements) from Americans’ tax money to commit these atrocities. The U.S. government has “singled out” Israel for this benefit. Our money buys the bombs and bullets that destroy homes and families in Gaza. Our money buys the Caterpillars and surveillance equipment that destroy homes and families in Jerusalem and the West Bank. The Jewish National Fund, which will only sell or lease land to Jews, is a tax-exempt fund under American law.
When someone tells us to avert our eyes from these atrocities and look at the atrocities elsewhere, they don’t want to have to answer—do you support these acts or not? If you oppose racism and white supremacy in the U.S., why would you want to hush up the same acts, the same thinking, the same privilege, that protect one ethnic group—Jews—at the expense of all others?
Palestinians deserve equal human rights, and it is not anti-Semitic to say so. Not only have Jews all over the world spoken up for Palestinian rights, but Israeli Jews are beginning to speak up also—1000 Israeli Jews just began circulating a letter “Stop Israel’s Apartheid!: An open letter to the international community,” which you can read here: https://jews4decolonization.wordpress.com
A poll of American Jews by the Jewish Electorate Institute and published in Ha’aretz, the N.Y. Times of Israel, on July 13, showed that one-quarter of American Jews agree that Israel is an apartheid state, and 22% believe that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians.
58% said we should cut aid to Israel so it couldn’t spend more U.S. money supporting the Jews-only settlements on stolen Palestinian land in the West Bank.
Not to mention the 16,000 artists from all countries who have called for an end to Israeli apartheid: https://mondoweiss.net/2021/06/this-is-not-a-conflict-this-is-apartheid-over-16000-artists-sign-letter-in-solidarity-with-palestine
Are they all anti-Semites?
The charge of anti-Semitism, when it is used to silence critics of the Israeli government, is just a cloak that supporters of Israel’s policies use to cover the naked shame of apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and genocide. It also discredits criticism of genuine anti-Semitism, which is on the rise in the U.S. mainly thanks to Trumpism and its open support of white supremacy.
In the meantime, here are some books you can read that will help clarify the history of the region:
“The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine,” by Israeli historian Ilan Pappe;
“The General’s Son,” by Miko Peled, grandson of an Israeli hero of 1948 and 1967;
“The Iron Wall,” by Israeli historian Avi Schlaim.
Naomi Allen