I seen a piece of writing the other day and it described Zionism as a ‘liberation movement’ for Jewish people. There is a few things about that notion which puzzles me, namely the following.

I am going to jump right in and say that a true liberation movement for Jewish people would be one in which the end result does not oppress others and one which does not appeal to sectional interests.

A cornerstone of any genuine liberation movement is the right to self-determination. Self-determination is the right to determine oneself and the right to to determine one’s own destiny. It is also the right to determine one’s ethnic definition and so on. Zionism does not afford Jewish people that right. Zionism, as a political ideology, has a very rigid and closed notion of what being Jewish is. Zionism aims to impose its destiny, aspiration and definition upon the Jewish people, regardless of the right of choice and the right to participate.

A genuine liberation movement for Jewish people would be one which aims for the defence of Jewish people everywhere, including those in the diaspora. Zionism increasingly pours scorn on the diaspora and, as Theodor Herzl (founder of the Zionist movement) proclaimed that it is basically pointless to fight antisemitism in the lands where Jewish people live (that would be the lands outside of Palestine). Zionism does not aim for the protection of Jews everywhere, especially the diaspora. It aims to cop out and, advertently or inadvertently, aid the antisemites in removing Jews from lands outside of Palestine (Europe, the Americas, etc.). A genuine liberation movement would not do this. A genuine liberation movement for Jews would protect Jews EVERYWHERE. A genuine liberation movement would fight antisemitism WHEREVER it rears its head, not just cop out and say ‘move to Israel‘ (as if fighting antisemitism is as easy as that).

A genuine liberation movement aims to defeat and expel an oppressor, not to become it. Nor does it come from outside, it comes from within. An example of that would be the Irish republican socialist movement. That movement, a genuine liberation movement, comes from within Ireland (the oppressed) aimed at expelling an already existing external and internal enemy (the Irish Free State and the British state). An equivalent to Zionism would be in South Africa with the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB). The AWB claims to be a liberation movement but it is in fact an outside force. If it were a genuine liberation movement it would be fighting against itself. Zionism planted itself onto a land as an outside force not as a liberator from within fighting against and already existing adversary e.g. a state, an opposing military or police force, etc.

Zionism traditionally has ignored antisemitism in favour of pushing some pipe dream on both Jewish people and non-Jewish Palestinians. Antisemitism in Britain, France, Russia, the U.S.A., etc. does not matter because Zionism is the saviour and the Jewish people should ignore instances of antisemitism in favour of moving to Israel and striving to build and maintain an Israeli state (Occupied Palestine). This is not a principle of any genuine liberation movement. A genuine liberation movement fights where it stands and most Jews do not stand in Israel.

Discrimination against Jewish people does not happen in Occupied Palestine (otherwise known as Israel) unless you are an Ethiopian Jew, a Sephardi Jew, Kaifeng Jew, Cochin Jew or a Mizrahi Jew (in these cases the perpetrators of such discrimination are in fact some other Jews, usually of the far-right Zionist variety. Genuine liberation movement for Jews anyone?). For the most part discrimination against Jewish people happens outside of Occupied Palestine and should be dealt with in the places where it does exist. Zionism willfully ignores this very real fact.

On the issue of class, Zionism is a cross-class movement. In fact it is very much in favour of a ruling class. On this basis alone Zionism can not represent any working class Jew whether inside or outside of Occupied Palestine.

Zionism despises the plurality of real Jewish life and of Jewish people everywhere. A genuine liberation movement for Jewish people would value it.

Zionism and antisemitism are mutually self-reinforcing. This is would not happen with a genuine liberation movement for Jewish people.

When all of this is considered, can Zionism be classed as any sort of genuine liberation movement? I think not nor would any person with a sound disposition.

Free Palestine! Fuck Antisemitism! For genuine liberation! For a class based fight against antisemitism and all other racism! For socialism!