استخدام مناهضة السامية كتهمة لمنع انتقاد ممارسات إسرائيل بحق الفلسطينيين 2000-2013
Date
2013-06-05
Authors
خلدون باجس ذيب ابوخطاب
KHALDOUN B D ABUKHATTAB
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
AL-Quds University
جامعة القدس
جامعة القدس
Abstract
One of the minimum requirements of democracy demands that the political
systems accept criticism, and respond when criticized in democratic manner.
Israel and its supporters - notably the Zionist organizations - deal with
criticism of the Israeli Occupation and the racist practices towards the 1948
and 1967 Palestinians, in belligerent manner. Israel and its supporters deals
with the criticism of these practices in a very sensitive, and even aggressive
way, to the extent of accusing the critics being anti-Semites, who hate Jews as
a racial or religious group.
This study seeks to reveal how Israel and the Zionist organizations suppress
critics of Israel's practices and policies in the 1967 Israeli Occupied West
Bank and Gaza Strip, and in the lands occupied and ethnically cleansed by
Israel in 1948 from the year 2000 (the outbreak of the second Palestinian
intifada up to the present.
The study reveals that the working definition of anti-Semitism, which Zionist
Organizations depend on in their attempts to suppress the critics of Israel, is
not a recognized document and has no legal value. European Fundamental
Rights Agency (FRA) that worked on putting this definition between 2003-
2005 clarified that the definition is a historical non-legal document. FRA
confirmed that they never called the Member States of the European Union to
adopt the definition and to use it as a basis for defining which practices are to
be considered anti-Semitic. Despite the above mentioned facts several Zionist
Organizations are still using this definition by claiming that it is a legal
document recognized by the European Union, as well as by pointing out that
the United States uses this definition in some of its laws.
The researcher recommends that Palestinian political leaders and all activists
working in solidarity with Palestinian rights publicize the findings of this
study exposing the false claims of Israel's apologists to the effect that the
working definition of anti-Semitism is adopted by the EU and its member
states as a legal standard to be used as a basis for defining which practices are
to be considered anti-Semitic.
Moreover, the researcher recommends that the legal implications of the
findings of this study be examined in order to develop further legal
advantages of the facts revealed in this study to fortify the defense of
Palestinian rights.
Additionally, the researcher recommends publicizing the General Policy
Recommendation (GPR) of the European Commission against Racism and
Intolerance (ECRI) that specify the anti-Semitic acts to be considered criminal
offences. These recommendations do not support the claim that criticizing
Israel or calling to boycott it form anti-Semitic acts.
Finally, the researcher also urges Palestinian activists working on the legal
level to study the lawsuits won by Israel critics and by the Campaign of
Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions Against Israel (BDS), in order to advance
the legal advantages gained as a basis for expanded legal struggle.
In conclusion, the researcher recommends that anti-occupation activists work
with their Jewish counterparts throughout the world in defense of the
Palestinian rights with the view to spreading the position that criticism of
Israel, and the calls for boycotting Israel represent legitimate resistance, and
have nothing to do with anti-Semitism. What is more, that attempts to connect
the right to criticize Israel with anti-Semitism, represent an attempt to provoke
religious disputes to suppress the critics of Israel practices as occupation
force.
Description
Keywords
الدراسات الاقليمية , Regional Studies