It’s not hard to see why anti-Zionism is equated with antisemitism. Zionism is an existential movement. It embodies the principle of self-determination for the Jewish people. Without Zionism and the State of Israel, Jews would be in grave danger, both in Israel and in the Diaspora.
In its white paper, Understanding Antisemitism at its Nexus with Israel and Zionism, the Nexus Task Force asserts that criticism of Zionism or opposition to Israel’s policies might be antisemitic if it treats Israel “in a negative manner based on a claim that Jews in particular should be denied the right to define themselves as a people and to exercise self-determination.”
There is nothing inherently antisemitic about a Palestinian opposing Zionism. But if that opposition denies Jews the same existential rights – from personal rights to national rights – that are legitimized for Palestinians, then a line has been crossed.
