Difference between revisions 1285826 and 1285838 on enwiki

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Racism and Zionism
The controversial claim that '''Zionism is racism''' attempts to say that [[Zionist]] or a belief in a [[Jewish]] [[ethnic]] homeland, is somehow equivalent to [[racism|race-based]] discrimination. The slogan's use, despite its oversimplification of the issues within the [[Israeli-Palestinian conflict]]     
has appeared in many venues, even in the [[United Nations]]. It has appeared in UN debates and resolutions since [[1975]] when the [[PLO]] was granted observer status at the UN--where it vigorously protested the occupation of the [[West Bank]] and [[Gaza]] by the State of [[Israel]].  It is part of an overall and consistent condemnation of Zionism by the [[Arab]] states and others opposed to the state of Israel in the UN.

While many Jews decry the slogan's meaning as anti-Semitic, others say it is not, rather, a reflection of the stereotypes that Israel and its allies thed to maintain in their occupation and related actions in their defense.  To have a "Jewish state" proponents argue, is to mean that non-Jews are to be held in lesser esteem and discriminated against.  Jews often argue that this is not true--that Judaism is a cultural and ethnic distinction--not a racial one. Palestinian Arabs and other proponents counter that the distinction between race and religion and ethnicity are irrelevant--what matters is nature of the apartheid state, and human rights abuses that go along with it.  the unequal treatment by the Israeli government, some of which are at the level of human rights abuses.

As is quite common in political issues, slogans and rhetoric become oversimplified to the point where the meaning or substance of the message is lost.  [[Noam Chomsky]], the famous Jewish-American Zionist explained the complications and distinctions between being both a Zionist and a critic of Israeli "[[apartheid]]".
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[[Danial Moynihan]] said:

:"In logic, the State of Israel could be, or could become, many things, theoretically including many undesirable things. But it could not be and could not become racist unless it ceased to be Zionist." [http://www.yahoodi.com/peace/zisr.html]
==External link==
*[http://www.palestinefacts.org/pf_1967to1991_un_zionism_racism.php Background on original resolution]

See: [[Ethiopian Jew]]s