Talking about anti-Semitism, and the accusation of anti-Semitism, is to many people a very sensitive issue. Nevertheless, I feel the need to highlight some points: As a Palestinian and as a Muslim, with first hand experience of racism, whether here in the UK or in occupied Palestine. 

I do understand what it means to be subjected to it; thus, I deeply empathise with those who suffer from the menace of racism and discrimination, those who are abused verbally, physically, emotionally, or otherwise for no other reason than the fact that they are “different”. 

And I also do understand the awful feeling and dreadful sensation of being subjugated with subtle racist looks or remarks only felt by you, and not the people around you.  

However, I do see a huge difference between a racist remark directed at a person or a group for their beliefs, race, or whatever that which makes them different, and between a snarl, a sneer or sarcasm against an occupying criminal entity called “Israel” and its people, for their CRIMES.

One must not fail to distinguish between the rage and fury caused by watching helplessly for decades the grim unstoppable crimes go unpunished year after year, and the racist blind hatred that might still exist among a tiny minority who, by nature, would be hating anything and anyone who is different anyway. 

Furthermore, this occupying entity called “Israel” (a word that I myself detest to even pronounce, and generally avoid using) is not a theoretical being, nor does it operate in a vacuum; it’s neither an abstract concept nor a conjectural void... It’s an entity run by PEOPLE. 

• PEOPLE who make decisions,
• PEOPLE who elect politicians
• PEOPLE who ALL serve in a barbaric army
• PEOPLE who foster racist beliefs, attitudes and actions
• PEOPLE who invaded others’ land, dispossessed them, and forcibly occupied it
• PEOPLE who imprison children and shoot babies hearts
• PEOPLE who destroy world heritage
• PEOPLE who steal water, land, sea and sky
• PEOPLE who kill hope, life, beauty and smiles
• PEOPLE who build their colonies on the blood and ruins of another people

It is an entity of PEOPLE, 94% of whom voted for the attack on Gaza - Overwhelming Israeli support of Gaza op - Jerusalem Post

It is an entity of PEOPLE, 71% of whom want the U.S. to strike Iran - Haaretz Poll: 71% of Israelis want the U.S. to strike Iran if talks fail
It is an entity of PEOPLE who has violated and assaulted ALL neighbouring countries.  

It is an entity of PEOPLE who have lived on STOLEN land for over six decades, with no sign of shame, remorse, awakening of conscience, nor willingness to either admit or right the wrongs they’ve committed.  

Every normal person with some compassion, would make a grimace of disgust and revulsion when hearing about such an entity, or such a people who commit such despicable horrors.. 

Now, I find it difficult to be persuaded that such a reaction to such horrific crimes - in conjunction with either the name “Israel” or the term “Israeli” - is an act of racism (anti-Semitism). On another note; we Palestinians do not bear any responsibility whatsoever for the (factual) crime of the holocaust, nor do we carry the burden of European racism against Jewish people. 

Furthermore, I do not see a difference between any kind of racism, including racism directed against Jewish people, known as anti-Semitism. If we accept racism against Jewish people as being different, then it implies that we accept the racist absurdity of “Jewish exceptionalism”.

Racism is racism; many causes, same consequences. 

Thus I do not see the suffering of Jewish people (horrible as it was) as a unique kind of suffering, which must be revered and viewed as essentially and fundamentally different from other human suffering; in the same way that I do not see our suffering as Palestinians as unique or different from that of any other people's. 

Questions come pounding: Why is it that we – Palestinians - are constantly reminded of the horrors of the holocaust, when we had nothing to do with it? 

Why is it that we Palestinians are to suffer the same fate as the victims of the holocaust at the hands of those who brag worldwide to act for, strive toward “never again”? 

Why would the UN want to enforce the study of the history of our oppressors' and occupiers' holocaust upon our children who are languishing in refugee camps – who themselves along with their parents and grandparents were victims of ethnic cleansing, planned and executed by those whom they are supposed to feel sympathy for? 

Why is it that we are persistently bogged down by the fixation on anti-Semitism, while for sixty years (a century rather), we are the ones who are relentlessly suffering from a most vile evil racism (ethnic cleansing gradually becoming a form of “final solution”) perpetrated by a whole population of racist zionists? (in all honesty, I must tell you that sometimes I imagine it would’ve been easier and less painful for us to be gassed and killed immediately rather than to endure this policy of excruciatingly slow death that we have been subjected to for over a century). 

How could the world keep asking us to recognise the “humanity” of a settler, who comes with his wife and children armed to the teeth, and at gunpoint evicts a Palestinian family, throws their entire belongings out, and moves in? What kind of “humanity” is this? 

And most importantly, why is it that we are continuously asked to feel compassion towards our tormentors who relentlessly murder and humiliate us, who attempt to annihilate us and our history and why, for what purpose, are we asked to feel their “humanity”, with their knife still piercing deep in our hearts? 

Finally, I cannot speak on behalf of all the Palestinians, but as for myself, I must admit, the recent assault on Gaza was the last straw that broke the camel’s back... Before that, I used to think that there was hope, those PEOPLE would wake up into their “humanity” one day, and regret the evil that they’ve done. But unfortunately, the more I see of them, the more I realise that this hope and dream were illusions. 

Over the past few years, I have been reading and debating with many of those “soft” zionists in the so-called “peace camps”; all I found is an extremely arrogant group of people, who are incapable of recognising, admitting, or willing to rectify the crimes they’ve committed.  

They are only interested in “peace” to protect their interests, and to further secure their stranglehold on the stolen land. 

Moreover, very recently, and by sheer accident, I stumbled upon some horrific information revealing the severity of decay of morality and lack of humanity amongst those RACIST zionists - whose ideological bigotry and chauvinism surpasses all others - that left me in a state of shock for days; crying, shaking, suffocating with palpitations and suffering from severe panic attacks. 

Undoubtedly, the world community should leave it to the victims to decide how to deal with those criminals in the future. Only the victims can investigate the fragile alleys of forgiveness or punishment. The victims should have the last say irrespective of what their judgment might be; they should not be vilified, indicted or moralized with, for they have suffered more than enough. The emergence of forgiveness and reconciliation requires certain conditions:

1. Stopping the crime
2. Admitting of guilt
3. Asking for pardon
4. And rectifying the wrong

None of these conditions are ever considered as an option amongst that mighty sick racist zionist society. 

As for me, I have no authority to talk in the name of all Palestinians, but I can state with all honesty, I DO NOT wish the zionist murderers, those of whom were directly or indirectly involved in massacres, theft of land, subjugation and oppression, to remain in Palestine after its liberation from the occupiers.

– except of course for the very few good people amongst them, as no soul should carry the liability of another -  

I do not wish the invader, occupier and criminal racists to stay in Palestine, the land that they incessantly raped, destroyed and disfigured, nor do I desire them to be my neighbours. 

They have shown no respect, no appreciation, and no love to this land or to her people. They do not deserve to live there. But these are only my own feelings, and I know that the decision is not mine alone.  

More on anti Semitism  

There are some more points that I would like to draw attention to:

1. “Israel” calls itself a Jewish state, and claims to be acting for all Jewish people, by Jewish people. It is still enjoying the moral and financial support of the majority of Jewish communities worldwide. The absence of a huge uproar of denunciation and disassociation by the majority of world Jewry, makes it hard for people not to blame zionist Jews who live outside occupied Palestine for their guilt of complicity, active alliance or passive complacency by either silence or aiding and sustaining the criminals.
2. “Israel” still enjoys the protection of the “Security Council” with its US vetoes on any UN resolution sanctioning “Israel’s” endless list of ongoing crimes and infractions of international law, and the "Israeli" criminals still roam with impunity, free from prosecution by any jurisdiction.  

   This intolerable situation inevitably foments further rage and fury against the double standard and special treatment granted to the “Jewish” state.

3. The excessive use of the term “anti-Semitism”:<

• a) by zionist Jews, accusing all non zionist
• b) by soft zionists Jews, accusing anti zionists Jews
• c) by anti zionists Jews, accusing fellow anti zionists Jews and also non Jews of anti-Semitism as soon as they dare to examine Judaism with a critical eye, criticising some aspects of it, some beliefs, attitudes or behaviours.  

  All this has participated in creating a sense of repression of freedom of expression, and undoubtedly also a sense of being subjected to what feels like intimidation and thought control. It has also diluted the meaning of the term Anti-Semitism, making it practically devoid of any significance. It is now used ad nauseum, ad absurdum, reduced to a simple rhetorical trick, slapped in the face of anything and anyone, as soon as there is the slightest inspection of facts. The word has lost its effectiveness to expose a form of racism, I am afraid. The more we hear it used inappropriately, the more indifference its further future usage will raise. Worse, it may even - God forbid - contribute to a form of blow-back... the story of the boy who cried wolf is only too familiar.

And so, some sincere advice from a heart that cares, to all my Jewish friends who are really interested in preventing the re-emergence of real “anti-Semitism”, and to those “Israelis” with some humanity left; I would say:

1. Instead of wasting time searching for the "humanity" within "Israeli" criminals, focus your energy on fighting and revealing “Israeli” crimes and exposing its inhumanity.
2. Disassociate yourselves completely from such an entity, and proclaim this annulment loud and clear.
3. Let go of the idea that anti Semitism is a “special” case of racism; treat all racism with the same degree of unambiguous condemnation
4. Try to look at the situation from the standpoint of non Jewish people, who will not accept or understand the insistence on the uniqueness of the Jewish suffering, whereas the world has seen - since the end of WW2 - the massacres of millions and millions of non Jews. The world is now inflamed by hatred against Muslims, not against Jews.
5. With love in my heart, with sincere and pure feelings, I would appeal to you to look inwards and search for reasons, as to why you feel that the world should accept racism against you as somehow worse or different, and as to why you feel that your suffering is unique and unlike others’, because this is not how the world sees it. All suffering has the same value to those who go through it, and all racism has the same consequences and must be condemned with the same ferocity.
6. Those of us who are involved in the support of the Palestinian cause are inevitably going to be accused of anti-Semitism, that does not make us in any way, shape or form anti-Semites... for we know very well that we are not; hence, false labels and bogus allegations should not frighten or deter us, distract us or hinder our determination in doing what we think is right.
7. And finally, please, do not dismay when people point out certain aspects of Judaism and the Jewish culture that they might not like or find incompatible with humanity, equality, or fairness. After all, assessment and criticism have always been accepted by other religions, belief systems and cultures, and this is what freedom of thought and freedom of speech are all about. People have the right to look at different ideologies, scrutinize them, criticise them and sieve out what appears to be hindering human moral development, as long as all this is done in an inoffensive manner, without slander or abuse, but rather in a respectful, academic, genuine and well-intentioned search for truth.

PS:

I know that what I have said might appear too strong, unfamiliar, or painful to hear, but I can only speak of what’s in my heart, as I believe that only through openness and honesty that trust can be built.

We have a saying in Arabic; “sadeequka man sadaqak, wassaddaqak”

صديقك من صدَقك و صدّقك

“Your true friend is he who is honest with you and who believes you.”

Arabic word for honesty: sidq

And for friend: sadeeq

Both friend and honesty share the same root: sa-da-qa= told the truth. 

Nahida Izzat is a Jerusalem-born Palestinian refugee who has lived in exile for over forty two years, after being forced to leave her homeland at the tender age of seven in 1967, during the six-day war. She has a degree in mathematics, but art is one of her favorite pastimes. She loves hand-made things and so makes dolls, cards, and most of her own clothing. She also writes poetry, participates in written dialogues and believes in building bridges, not walls.

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