The
smears against Corbyn and the left are part of a concerted effort to
undermine a potential left government and must be opposed
by
Alex Snowdon
Part
3 - The 'New Antisemitism'
Why has
the defining of antisemitism become so contentious? It is no
accident. There has been a concerted push by Israel, and by its
political supporters elsewhere, to tarnish opposition to Israeli
policies with the smear of antisemitism.
The
concept of the ‘new antisemitism’ developed in response to
growing resistance by Palestinians in the Second Intifada (2000-05),
followed by the growth of international solidarity with Palestinians
in the wake of 2005’s international BDS call. This was the appeal
by Palestinian civil society for international efforts at boycott,
divestment and sanctions. It has since grown into a diverse,
multi-faceted and truly international movement of solidarity that has
damaged Israel’s reputation and global standing, challenging
governments and corporations to break their complicity in the
apartheid state’s routine abuses of human rights.
The
Israeli state has become more and more strategic in its response,
pouring considerable funds into propaganda and lobbying to counter
this threat. An integral component of these efforts has been the
re-defining of antisemitism to protect itself against criticism. This
is necessary because the realities of Israel’s treatment of
Palestinians have only got worse.
The
military assaults on Gaza in 2009, 2012 and 2014 have galvanised
widespread public outrage across the world, as more recently has the
murderous suppression of Palestinian protests near the Gaza/Israel
boundary. Settlement building has continued, in defiance of
international law and United Nations condemnation. Last year’s
Nationality Law enshrined apartheid inside Israel by declaring that
it is a state for its Jewish citizens only, formally sanctioning the
discrimination and segregation that was already part of Israeli life.
The
tight alliance between Israeli prime minister Netanyahu and President
Trump has helped open up serious cracks in support for Israel among
American Jews, the majority of whom are anti-Trump. This fraying of
support for Israel is part of the context for the viciousness and the
weaponising of antisemitism directed at Israel’s critics in both
the US and the UK. The rise of the BDS movement and threat to the old
order posed by a reviving Left are other crucial factors.
We
should not be deflected – from both building a mass solidarity
movement with Palestine and developing a stronger Left – by the
spurious attempts at weaponising antisemitism.
***
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