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CLOSED 12/4 Petition to Biden & U.S. Congress

You had me in the first half of H. RES. 894, not gonna lie. Antisemitism is a stain on humanity and must be condemned, just like Islamophobia, and all forms of hate. But, when the resolution “clearly and firmly states that anti-zionism is antisemitism”, that’s where you lost me. No one has a right to a religious ethno-state. 

Zionism is a settler-colonial ethno-religious nationalist movement. The father of modern zionism, Theodor Herzl, “believed that the Jews comprise a nation and that nation deserves a territory.” On its face, it doesn’t sound so terrible, right? But what about if a country of people already live there? 

Whether the Western world recognized it or not, Palestine was NOT empty. This is the same kind of racist justification our country used regarding indigenous people in America. “Herzl was only in Palestine once very briefly and he never really got a sense of what the Palestinian Arabs thought or wanted…[he said] that Jews will bring nothing but benefits to the native population…bore no grudge against these people: [Jews] will give them…technology; they’ll be better farmers; they’ll have better health.” Look how that turned out!

You can’t hide behind calling every legitimate criticism of Israel “antisemitic”. Even though I know this resolution will pass, just like H. RES. 888, I still voice my strong opposition to your equivocation of anti-Zionism with antisemitism. 

I demand that you: 

– Call for an immediate, total, and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the West Bank, and all other areas where Israel is murdering or otherwise violating the human rights of Palestinians

– Call for an immediate end to genocide, apartheid, and occupation, and support Palestinians in their fight for freedom from occupation, peace, and their human rights

– Permanently end all monetary and military aid given to Israel by correcting our budget and enforcing Leahy Law

– Reallocate all funds given to Israel to ongoing humanitarian relief for Palestinians to help them rebuild, care for the sick & injured, bury the dead with dignity, and ensure all of their basic needs are taken care of

– Repeal all federal anti-BDS laws and pass legislation that voids all state-level anti-BDS laws

– Restore my right of free speech by passing legislation that protects against discrimination or harassment for criticizing or condemning any government or political ideology (including zionism)

– Stop the militarization of our police by ending all types of cross-training done with the Israeli military, ceasing the construction of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, and all other ways this is accomplished

– Pass legislation that prohibits any governmental action that would target any ethnic, religious, or other minority group (including Palestinians), either in the U.S. or abroad, by restricting humanitarian or financial aid, infringing on human rights, or other actions that would otherwise bring harm or cause undue burdens on said groups

SOURCES

Congress “H.Res.894 – Strongly condemning and denouncing the drastic rise of antisemitism in the United States and around the world.“

Open Democracy “Theodor Herzl and the trajectory of Zionism”, an interview with Professor Derek Penslar, former professor of Israel Studies at Oxford University