I recently received the following message from a (former?) friend of mine:
okay I am being so genuine right now: since you seem to have educated yourself on what is bothering jewish people about the pro-palestine movement, /what/ is it. I genuinely cannot see and have not interacted with any pro-palestine activists that have actively advocated for the murder of jewish people. I have seen Israelis who have justified the breaking of the truce to bomb Palestinians returning to north gaza. Note I said Israelis and not Jews.
I responded by essentially saying that there's a lot there and I'll need some time to compile and articulate.
I mention this in order to ask if you (or any of your followers/any Jewish tumblr users reading this) have anything specific you'd like to point me toward (search keywords/starting points, links, thoughts, interpret however) that's not already on the list of what i'm planning to discuss (included after this paragraph), anything you specifically want me to read, suggestions of where to place emphasis, or any stories or thoughts you'd like me to pass on to him directly.
current tentative list i'm planning on going over with him, in no particular order:
clarification of scope of conversation (specific to non-jewish western left rather than on the ground or from affected groups)
dual loyalty accusations and harrassment of random jews that have nothing to do with medinat israel
taking discussion of antisemitism in bad faith by default
opportunistic use of the issue by more active antisemites, broad failure to to recognize when that's occuring
uncritical sharing of dogwhistles, conspiratorial thinking
outsiders and newcomers attempting to speak on the matter with authority we don't have
neglect of fact-checking and widespread mis- and disinformation
tokenization of antizionist jews and "jews" - jvp in particular i need to look into more
glorification of hamas and disregard for israeli civilians
misuse, misunderstanding, and demonization of zionism
application of western frameworks of colonization when not applicable
binary good guys/bad guys framing, contrarianism, taking "sides"
might talk about bds e.g. the whole boston map thing but not yet confident on this one, need to do a lot more digging
denial of jewish history - focus on denial of eretz israel as the jewish homeland, holocaust inversion, treating absolutely anything but especially those as trivial or "so long ago"
treating or discussing jews and/or israelis as monolithic
double standards and singling out of israel, holding it as inherently more suspect or less legitimate than any other state
@faggotry-enjoyer Oh man! This is such a good ask!!!! I was going to wait until after work to answer, but your list is so good and so thorough that it relieves a lot of the work I’d have to do.
Some stuff I linked overlaps with your list but I wanted to provide links to these points when possible.
Another thing that bothers me in particular about the western leftist movements’ approach to pro-Palestine conversations (and more: I am critiquing their approach to supporting Palestine not their support itself):
The absolute inability for Jews anywhere to even discuss provocation from Hamas, the history of bombs coming into Israel out of Palestine, or any other act of aggression from Hamas. Anytime we try to discuss anything even remotely nuanced or historical we are told “there’s no excuse for genocide” or “I guess you just love killing Palestinian babies” when that’s not what we are saying at all. Or, more often, the assumption that we are flat out lying about Hamas’ tactics and use of human shields and Palestinian civilian suppression and their view of the disposability of Palestinian lives.
The blanket condemnation of Zionism without understanding that it is a complex philosophy with several movements and differing goals.
The complete lack of media literacy.
The specific dismissal of From the River to the Sea as a term stolen from a Palestinian civilians who desire to express hope in a fully free and equal future but people who use it explicitly to call for the death of Jews. And the weaponization of the phrase to make it a death threat to any Jew who points this out.
The lack of specificity in terms line “Free Palestine.” Yes, Palestinians deserve full and equal freedoms and representation in government. This is a wonderful thing that I support with my whole heart. But that doesn’t change the fact that many bad actors and antisemites are hiding within the Free Palestine movement who are specifically manipulating the phrase to imply free Palestine FROM JEWS—both in terms of their presence in the levant at all (which would entail yet another anti-Jewish ethnic cleansing) or simply the murder of the 7 million Jews who exist in Israel. So asking a Jew why they won’t shout “free Palestine!” At the top of their lungs is taken as a sign that western Jews don’t want Palestinian freedom. When actually it’s a refusal to call for their own deaths.
The assumption that western protest tactics are inherently useful in this conflict and the refusal to look to interfaith and intercultural organizations on the ground in I/P who have been doing this longer, better, and more effectively than western groups.
The focus of western efforts on naming one side a victor in this conflict rather than peace for all.
Not understanding how few Jews there are in the world. And relatedly, the dismissal of the fact that the destruction of the modern state of Israel with no solid plan for a shared Palestinian/Israeli solution would mean the loss of sovereignty for half the global Jewish population, which would indeed affect Jews worldwide.
Dismissal of Israeli leftist efforts to oust the Likud and Netanyahu, because it doesn’t fit the narrative of all Israeli Jews being evil.
The sharing of graphic content of 10/7 attacks, dead and injured Palestinian and Israeli children, and calling any victims martyrs without appropriate trigger warning and as a political tactic.
Mocking Jews (yes, even celebrities) who express feeling fearful for their personal safety as antisemitism rises worldwide.
The expulsion of Jews from their non-Jewish communities and friend groups.
Not understanding the magnitude of the Jewish diaspora and its affect on Jewish culture and voice during this conflict.
Other friends and Allies please add on with your own experiences and concerns!
