Indya Moore Instagram – Antisemitism & solidarity with Palestine are NOT the same. Those who make this inaccurate and dangerous claim seek to silence advocacy for Palestinian rights, land, & liberation. As the movement for Palestinian liberation strengthens, false accusations of antisemitism are on the rise. This is the first post in a series where we at the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN) will break down anti-Zionism, antisemitism, why they’re different, & why that matters. Read our full text IJAN.org/AZ (LINK IN BIO) where we expand on these definitions and provide a direct response to the Zionist strategy of conflating the two in order to discredit anyone fighting for a free Palestine. WHAT IS ZIONISM? Zionism is Jewish nationalism. It was the ideological basis of the Nakba (Catastrophe) wherein Zionists massacred, displaced, & dispossessed over 750k Palestinian people as part of the 1948 founding of the State of Israel. Zionism remains the driving force of Israel’s conduct: its expansionism, its granting of privileged citizenship to Jews, & its mistreatment of Palestinians through occupation, apartheid, ethnic cleansing, sieges, genocidal military campaigns, & other forms of extreme violence. Zionism is a belief, not a people. It is not and never has been the same as Judaism or Jewish identity. WHAT IS ANTI-ZIONISM? As long as there has been Zionism, there has been opposition to it – among Jews, Palestinians, & many others. Anti-Zionists object to Zionism because it is racist. Zionism privileges Jewish lives (particularly the lives of Ashkenazi and European Jews) above all others, especially over Palestinian lives. Opposing Zionism is an essential part of combating racism. One cannot be truly anti-racist without being anti-Zionist. WHAT IS ANTISEMITISM? Antisemitism is prejudice, hatred, or violence directed at Jews because they are Jewish. Antisemitism today is centered in the far-right, where white supremacy, Christian Nationalism, & Christian Zionism are dominant. Antisemitism is a threat that must be countered by all who oppose racism, white supremacy, & religious discrimination. The end to antisemitism lies in collective liberation, not Zionism.