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April 8th, 2021 
Awake Goy 
This week, a major battle is raging behind the scenes at the New Democratic Party (NDP) around Palestinian rights. As a Jew, I am mighty pissed off at Israel’s defenders trying to hijack my Jewish identity and bully progressives into abandoning our Palestinian sisters and brothers.
The Israel lobby’s latest weapon of choice is the IHRA re-definition of antisemitism, which is weak on antisemitism, but built to defame Palestinian solidarity supporters as anti-Semitic. In the latest case, 50 NDP riding associations are backing a resolution to reject the IHRA at this week’s NDP Convention. Jagmeet Singh and the NDP establishment – at the behest of the Israel lobby – are trying to sabotage the anti-IHRA resolution.
First, let’s outline the minimal position I believe progressives should take on this issue:
- Support Palestinian rights
- Criticize Israel’s occupation of Palestine
- Fight antisemitism and all forms of racism
- Reject attempts to defame supporters of the Palestinian cause as anti-Semitic.
Israeli law stipulates that Palestinians who are Israeli citizens or living under occupation have fewer rights than Israeli Jews. This is because the Zionist goal of “Jewish self-determination” on Palestinian land is incompatible with equality between Jews and Palestinians. This is indefensible. Clearly playing the “antisemitism” card against progressives is the Israel lobby’s weapon of choice.
Until recently, we were focusing on derailing the Israel lobby’s efforts to pass the IHRA definition. But the momentum is changing and the Israel lobby in Canada – CIJA and the B’nai Brith – are being forced to play wack-a-mole to stop anti-IHRA positions from being adopted by progressive organizations. This demonstrates our growing collective power.
Insulting or defaming people must be done judiciously.
The Israel lobby is reluctant to pick on me or my organization, Independent Jewish Voices (IJV). But they do not hesitate to pick on Muslims, Arabs, and leaders of progressive organizations that support the Palestinian cause.
You should understand the dynamics.
The Israel lobby doesn’t pick on me or IJV because we fight back and we’re Jewish. They don’t pick on us because they don’t want to publicize the fact that increasing numbers of Jews reject the values of the right-wing Jewish establishment and are appalled by daily events in Israel.
The Israel lobby no longer picks on Sid Ryan and the Ontario Federation of Labour, because the Federation fought back and defended Sid when he was attacked for supporting Palestinian rights. But the Israel lobby is well organized and connected in high places. They are adept at damaging progressive organizations and parties by creating divisions when they are afforded the opportunity.
It works like this:
The Israel lobby and their sycophants in the media defame a political leader who expresses support for Palestine as an “anti-Semite”. Think Jeremy Corbyn of the British Labour Party, who has been prominent in the defense of Palestinian rights. Or NDP MP Charlie Angus, who criticized Israel for practicing medical apartheid because of their refusal to release Covid-19 vaccines to the Palestinians living under Israeli military occupation. Or the NDP base, which a Postmedia columnist’s headline described as “inmates taking over the NDP” because we are considering resolutions supporting Palestine.
When they can, the Israel lobby gets their own people, both Jews and non-Jews, within progressive organizations, and assembles Jews outside the organization to defame those they are targeting. If the bullying effort is successful, the organization won’t defend its own members who are targeted.
In the case of the NDP, this strategy appears to have been successful. The NDP establishment has caved, doing everything in its power to sink the anti-IHRA resolution slated to go before the party’s convention this weekend. But we’re fighting back. Stay tuned.
The experience of both IJV and The Ontario Federation of Labour provides a simple lesson for the NDP and other progressive organizations on how to resist the Israel lobby’s bullying: UNITE & FIGHT BACK!
Forthrightly resist attacks on members and the organization coming from the bully.
Vigorously defend those who are attacked.
Ask for support.
Support Palestinian solidarity within your progressive base.
Denounce the bully by name.
Make sure your statements are bullet-proof – i.e. don’t take shortcuts. Be consistent in your opposition to all forms of oppression. Fight antisemitism as well as other all forms of racism and fight Israel’s oppression of Palestinians.
Hopefully this convention will force a reckoning about the NDP establishment’s betrayal of its base on the subject of Palestine as well as on other issues of importance to progressives: They don’t back BDS; they have barred NDP candidates who have supported Palestinian rights; they support the anti-Palestinian IHRA re-definition of antisemitism being promoted by the Israel lobby, and they left hanging in the wind – MPs like Niki Ashton or Charlie Angus who were attacked for criticizing Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians.
We must continue this fight until it has been won. We must end the NDP establishment’s toxic relationship with the Israel lobby, and force it to demonstrate a commitment to a progressive future that rejects defaming folks who support Palestinian rights and other worthy causes.
For more on the fights against the IHRA see: www.noihra.ca
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