No. of Recommendations: 2
The problem of Zionism is that its definition of the state, and citizenship within the state (it is a Jewish state after all), does not permit a resolution to the "indigenous but not Jewish" question.
Why not? Many countries in the world have an indigenous population that is not a member of the ethnic and cultural group that predominates. To use one example, Japan has has managed to resolve the "indigenous but not Japanese" question posed by the Ainu people by....well, by not doing anything particular at all. As a general, abstract principle there's not really a problem with having an "indigenous but not _______" population in a country.
Implementing partition could have resolved many of the specific problems faced in the area. That would have been traumatic, just as it was in India - but with the benefit of hindsight it would have been far less traumatic than what has ensued.
Do you mean to argue that every Jew is a zionist, by definition, and that any opposition to the current Zionist project of pursuing a greater Israel is an attack on all Jews?
No, because opposition to the current government is not opposition to Zionism. Zionism is the general support for the existence of a Jewish state, not any specific government coalition or set of policies that a specific government might adopt. Again, to return to Japan, one can argue that the current government of Japan is terrible, or that one or more of their specific policies are terrible - without arguing that Japan should not exist in its current form (to be clear - I have no opinion about the government of Japan, I'm just using them as an example).
If so, what is the distinction between Judaism and Zionism?
Jews are a distinct religious, ethnic, and cultural people; Judaism is typically a term that refers to the religious and cultural practices of that people. Zionism is the belief that this people should be allowed to have their own country. Anti-zionism is the belief that Jews should not be permitted to have their own country. This is distinct from believing that the current government is terrible and what they're doing is terrible.
To give a comparable analogy, I think Trump is a terrible President and I think many of the specific policies of his Administration are terrible. That does not make me anti-American. It means I am against this specific government, but not against either the existence of America or America as a concept. Being anti-American means more than just being against the specific government or its specific policies. Similarly, being anti-Zionist is more than being against the Netanyahu government or its policies (or prosecution of the war) - it means opposing the existence of a Jewish state generally.
If I were to say that I'm fine with every other people in the world having their own country, but I think the Japanese should not be allowed to have their own country, I think most people would regard that as being anti-Japanese. I'm not sure I understand why people think it's okay, or not anti-Semitic, to espouse the analogous belief about the Jews....
