Ever since I learned about Israel-Palestine years ago, I’ve wanted to speak out about my beliefs. Jewish progressives who want to see Israel thrive are alienated from conversations about the conflict.
As someone who runs in progressive circles online, I’ve been very alarmed, to say the least by some of the rhetoric from people I thought were my ideological allies. Even though I still have lots of agreement with those people on domestic and foreign policy, the way Israel has been discussed has concerned me.
Part of being a progressive is to be critical of American foreign policy over the years and try to learn from those mistakes. The Vietnam War, the Iraq War, and the Afghanistan War all raise questions on military ethics, planning, and success. When criticizing these wars, a common talking point is the high civilian death toll and the subsequent instability created in the Middle East.
That principle doesn’t get talked about though when it comes to Hamas’ actions on October 7th. Hamas often is viewed by people in the West as a “liberatory” or “resistance” group. Whenever I hear this, I think back to when I learned about the protests that were occurring over America’s involvement in Iraq in response to 9/11. I never saw anyone refer to Al-Qaeda, Saddam Hussein, or other Islamist Jihadist terrorists as “resistance” fighting for the liberation of their people.
Additionally, with the antiwar protests that took place against America’s involvement in the aforementioned wars, they protested against what our government was doing overseas – not in favor of any terrorist group.
The polar opposite of these principles seems to be the case regarding Israel-Palestine. Many are horrified about the civilian death toll in Gaza and most recently, Lebanon – I share those concerns and have been vocal about it myself. However, when I see clips of protests against America sending weapons to Israel, the protests don’t seem to just be about our involvement in Gaza. They seem to be about legitimizing Hamas and their actions on October 7th, claiming they act in favor of the Palestinian cause.
It stings me as a progressive because many of the demands of Students for Justice in Palestine are ones I sympathize with and agree with – America using its leverage to force Israel to make a deal, ending the blockade on Gaza, and ending all settlements in the West Bank. What hurts me though, is the way they discuss Israel, attempting to negate its legitimacy as a country (see, for example, UMD’s own FAQ sheet for the SJP club on campus).
I’m perfectly willing to concede and have vocally criticized myself, on how Israel’s policies over the past few decades led her to the situation she finds herself in today. Despite my criticism of Israeli policy, I do my best to be very clear about my disdain for Hamas because they’re a large part of the problem too. It’s hard for me to find someone who shares these values, and is willing to discuss them openly On one end I see people saying America should give Israel whatever it wants to defeat Hamas (something the Israeli military themselves say cannot be done) and on the other end, seeing people, particularly in protests saying slogans like “by whatever means necessary” “from the river to the sea” or “globalize the intifada.”
Jews have been very clear about what those slogans mean to them – the destruction of the only Jewish state is at the crux of their rally calls. Regardless of what they think of the statement themselves, Jews should be the only group that gets to define what it means to be antisemitic. Likewise how Black people get to decide what is racist and how gay people get to determine what is homophobic. The people who generally agree with that sentiment claim to advocate for justice for all minorities. I often see, however, Jews being excluded from that pursuit of justice.
Despite Jews having achieved financial and career success, they disproportionally face hate crimes compared to all religions. Even though Jews are only two percent of the population in the United States, they account for over two-thirds of religious hate crimes that are carried out. As a Jewish person, I wish this was discussed more. As a progressive, you should wish that too. Progressives will correctly cite the recent spike in hate crimes committed against Muslims, but when it comes to the increase in Jewish hate crimes, Israel will be blamed. There is a double standard here. I’ve never seen radical Islamist groups get blamed for the rise in hate crimes committed against Muslims or Arabs, only their perpetrators. It’s time to hold perpetrators of antisemitic hate crimes accountable.
This is what has been hard about being a progressive lately. Currently, progressives are thought of as antisemites who want to see Israel destroyed. I don’t want to be in that category. Nor do I want to be in the category that excuses or denies the systemic injustices Palestinians have faced for decades.
Ultimately, the way I see Israel is like a best friend. Someone who I want to see succeed, but is currently going down a dark path. I say this to my friend, Israel. You can be the safe place for Jews, the protection from unimaginable horror our people have faced for millennia. However, it absolutely cannot be at the expense of another group of people. I hope to see Israel thriving and promoting the Jewish values I grew up with.
