It’s Not Antisemitic to Oppose Israel’s Apartheid Rule Over the Palestinians
The UN is being urged to adopt a misleading, partisan redefinition of antisemitism that is intended to protect Israel from critical scrutiny. We should oppose this cynical attempt to silence advocacy on behalf of the Palestinians in the name of anti-racism.
A Palestinian girl stands on the roof of a shack in the northern Gaza Strip on November 20, 2022. (Majdi Fathi / NurPhoto via Getty Images)
For the last two decades, pro-Israel advocacy groups have been promoting a propagandistic definition of “antisemitism,” now known as the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition. Their manifest purpose is to stigmatize and stifle legitimate, accurate criticism of Israel. A concerted effort is currently underway to foist this text on the United Nations.
We should firmly resist this effort. The IHRA definition is worthless as a weapon in the struggle against antisemitism, but it can be used — and has been used — to silence Palestinians and those who defend their rights.
Neither Clear nor Coherent
A broad consensus among experts has criticized the IHRA definition for being “neither clear nor coherent” while posing a threat to free speech. Even the text’s main drafter, Kenneth Stern, has repeatedly spoken out against its use as a disciplinary tool by governments or public bodies. It’s not hard to see why.
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