(Los Angeles Jewish Journal) Noa Tishby - While the restoration of Jewish nationhood in the Land of Israel has deep roots, most Americans support the Jewish state, the only democracy in the Middle East. From the very beginning, Zionism - the movement for the re-establishment of a sovereign Jewish nation - has counted non-Jews among its most enthusiastic supporters. Due to a well-organized campaign against it, Zionism is now considered a slur in certain circles. But Zionism is in fact a progressive movement, created to progress Jews from two millennia of discrimination, pogroms and persecution to self-governance and self-determination in their indigenous land. Zionism is not in opposition to anyone else's self-governance and self-determination, Palestinians included. On the other hand, "Free Palestine from the river to the sea," the chant adopted by BDS and its celebrity followers, is a call for the destruction of the single Jewish state in the world, a shamelessly antisemitic goal. Lovers of democracy around the world understand that Israel is fighting the battle for all free people to live in peace and dignity. The truth is that while there are only a few million Jews in the world, there are hundreds of millions of Zionists. The writer is Israel's special envoy for combating antisemitism and delegitimization of Israel.
2022-08-04 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive